Zone 11 · December · 1 weeks before first frost
What to plant in December in Zone 11
Typical last frost in zone 11 is around Jan 31, and first frost around Dec 20. A planning month. Seed catalogues arrive, and the only real task is keeping overwintering pots alive.
Start indoors this month
Seed trays indoors, under a light or in the brightest window you have. These are slow crops that need a head start on the season.
- Cherry Tomato — window Dec 20 – Jan 3 (5 gal, 12" deep)
- Basil — window Dec 20 – Jan 3 (2 gal, 8" deep)
- Kale — window Dec 27 – Jan 10 (3 gal, 10" deep)
- Hot Pepper — window Dec 6 – Dec 20 (3 gal, 12" deep)
Set out into the final container
Transplants go into the pot they will finish in. Hardening them off for four to five days first prevents most transplant shock.
No transplanting window is open this month here.
Direct sow
Sow straight into the final pot. These crops resent root disturbance, and transplanting them usually costs more time than it saves.
No direct-sowing window this month in this zone.
Sow for autumn
A second sowing timed backwards from first frost. Fewer pests, less watering, and better flavour in most cool crops.
No autumn sowing window opens this month in this zone.
Harvesting this month
Nothing from our dataset is in its harvest window this month here.
Not this month
- Bush Bean — next window opens in February. Starting it now means 2 months of impatient waiting, or a plant that stalls.
Zone 11 at a glance
Zone 11 has no meaningful frost. Grow cool crops in the winter months, heat-lovers the rest of the year, and treat watering as the main constraint.