December is the darkest month, and the garden is fully asleep under snow or frozen soil. It is also, quietly, one of the most useful months in a cold-zone garden — because December is when you have time. No sowing, no weeding, no watering, no harvest to rush. December gives you the long evenings to plan next year's garden properly, to learn from this year's notes, and to order the seeds and supplies that will make spring easy.
The gardeners who do best in a short season are usually the ones who do December well.
Zone 2 in December: the frost window
Zone 2 is one of the coldest USDA zones, with winter lows of -50 to -40°F. The average last spring frost falls June 1–15 and the average first autumn frost falls August 15–September 1, which leaves roughly eleven to thirteen weeks between the average last spring frost and the average first autumn frost. Everything here runs on a very late timetable: tender crops go out only in June, and the whole outdoor season is a sprint. Those dates are USDA zone averages from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map and NOAA frost records — they are ranges, not exact dates for any one garden, and they vary by microclimate, elevation and year, so check your local extension service before you plant tender crops outside. Our harvest date calculator gives you the averages for your zone, and the planting calendar hub lists every zone and month.
Your December task list
- Finish the plan for next year: beds, rotation, varieties, and a sowing calendar worked back from your average last frost.
- Order seeds and supplies now, while the range is full and before spring demand.
- Review this year's notes and decide what to change — varieties, timing, bed layout.
- Check stored produce and use anything that is softening.
- Care for houseplants through the darkest weeks: light, and water only when dry.
- Clean and repair anything you missed in autumn — pots, labels, seed trays — so spring starts clean.
What to start indoors in December
- Houseplants in midwinter — December is the hardest month for houseplants: the shortest days, the driest heated air. Give them maximum light, keep them away from radiators and cold glass, and water sparingly — most are barely growing.
- Herbs and microgreens — Parsley, chives and mint on a sunny windowsill, plus microgreens ready in one to two weeks, are the fresh green things December offers.
- Amaryllis and paperwhites — If you grow indoor bulbs, December is their month — forced bulbs flower indoors in midwinter and need nothing more than a bright windowsill and occasional water.
Give seedlings strong light close above them, keep the soil moist but not soggy, and label every tray with the crop and sowing date.
What to direct-sow outdoors in December
Nothing is sown outdoors in December. Indoor sowing is microgreens and herbs only; the vegetable sowing calendar starts again in January with onions, leeks and celery. December sowing is planning: decide what you will sow, when, and in what order, and write it down. A sowing calendar built in December is worth more than a dozen seed packets bought in a spring rush.
What to transplant and harvest in December
Nothing is transplanted in December, indoors or out, except for houseplants that need repotting — and even that is better left until spring, when they are growing again. Leave houseplants alone in December unless a pot is broken or a plant is clearly suffering; repotting a dormant plant in midwinter usually does more harm than good.
There is no outdoor harvest in December. Eating from the garden means stored potatoes, onions, garlic and winter squash, frozen and preserved food from summer, and indoor herbs and microgreens. Check stored crops one last time before the holidays, and use anything that is softening before it spoils the rest of the box.
Frost protection in December
December frost is total: the ground is frozen, and no frost protection is needed or possible outdoors. The only frost to guard against is frost reaching stored produce or tender indoor plants — keep stores frost-free, and keep plants away from freezing glass. Your frost dates are averages, so check your local extension service for your area, but in December the frost calendar is simple: the last frost is months away, the first frost is months past, and the garden is waiting.
December planting data — Zone 2
| Crop | Germination | Days to maturity | Spacing | Soil pH | Cold tolerance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onions | 7–14 days | 90–120 days | 4–6 in | 6.0–7.0 | hardy |
| Garlic | 7–14 days | 180–240 days | 6 in | 6.0–7.0 | hardy |
| Potatoes | 14–28 days | 70–120 days | 12 in | 5.0–6.0 | frost-tolerant |
| Tomatoes | 7–14 days | 60–85 days | 24–36 in | 6.0–6.8 | tender |
| Lettuce | 7–10 days | 45–60 days | 8–12 in | 6.0–7.0 | hardy |
Frequently asked questions
Can I plant anything in December?
No, not outdoors — the ground is frozen. December is a planning month: write the rotation, build the sowing calendar, order seeds, and grow herbs and microgreens indoors.
When should I order seeds?
In December or January, while the full range is available. The best varieties sell out before spring, and ordering early means your plan drives your buying, not the other way round.
Should I repot houseplants in December?
Usually not. Most houseplants are barely growing in December, and repotting a dormant plant can do more harm than good.
When is the last frost in my zone?
In Zone 2, the average last spring frost falls June 1–15 and the average first autumn frost falls August 15–September 1. Frost dates here are zone averages, not exact dates for any one place, and they vary by microclimate, elevation and year — check your local extension service before planting tender crops outside in spring.
December is the garden in its quietest and most thoughtful form: a plan on paper, seeds on order, houseplants by the brightest window, and stored food in the cupboard. Spring is months away — but when it comes, you will be ready for it. Browse the planting calendar hub for every month in your zone, see last month, and see how the same month looks in a milder zone in the Zone 7 January guide.