What to plant in December in Florida

Worked out for 9 cities from their own weather and frost dates, by zone.

What to sow and plant in December in Florida, by zone: frost-free, highs of 72–82 °F (Miami, Fort Myers and 1 more): broad bean, peas, onion, lettuce, carrot and 35 more; frost possible, highs of 72–82 °F (Tampa and Orlando): broad bean, peas, onion, lettuce, cabbage and 21 more; frost possible, highs of 61–72 °F (Jacksonville, Tallahassee and 2 more): broad bean, peas, onion, spinach, lettuce and 29 more.

In Florida, December is winter.

Frost-free, highs of 72–82 °F: Miami, Fort Myers and St. Petersburg

In December, on average, these cities have highs of 72 to 78 °F and lows of 59 to 65 °F, 2.0 to 3.3 in of rain on 5 to 10 days; the day lasts 10 h 24 min to 10 h 33 min (on the 15th).

No frost in December in 10 years of data: frost-tender crops can go in too, if it is warm enough for them.

How	What	Where
sow direct	Broad bean, peas, cabbage, parsley, cilantro, arugula, chamomile, chickpea, dill, mustard greens	all
plant sets	Onion, shallot	all
sow direct	Spinach, radish, turnip	Miami
sow direct	Lettuce, carrot, broccoli, kohlrabi	Miami and St. Petersburg
set out transplants or start indoors, plant out in January	Cauliflower	Miami and St. Petersburg
sow direct	Swiss Chard, kale, parsnip	St. Petersburg
sow direct	Beet	Fort Myers and St. Petersburg
set out transplants or start indoors, plant out in February	Tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, chili pepper	all
sow direct	Zucchini, watermelon, pumpkin	Fort Myers
sow direct	Green Beans, sweet corn, basil, bok choy, borage, corn, kiwano, luffa, Napa cabbage, peanut, soybean	Miami and Fort Myers
set out transplants or start indoors, plant out in January	Cucumber	Miami and Fort Myers
start indoors, plant out in January	Melon, okra	Fort Myers
start indoors, plant out in March	Celeriac, celery	all
sow direct or start indoors, plant out in March	Chayote	all
sow direct or start indoors, plant out in February	Florence fennel, moringa	all
start indoors, plant out in January	Achocha	Miami and Fort Myers

Compared with November: new — parsnip; no longer sown — Brussels sprouts.

Ready to harvest in December in Fort Myers, if sown in the right month: zucchini (October), green beans (October), watermelon (September), pumpkin (August), sweet corn (September), basil (October), bok choy (October) and borage (October).

Frost possible, highs of 72–82 °F: Tampa and Orlando

In December, on average, these cities have highs of 73 °F and lows of 56 to 57 °F, 2.7 to 2.9 in of rain on 6 to 7 days; the day lasts 10 h 20 min to 10 h 23 min (on the 15th).

December falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait. Average first frost: Tampa (December 24) and Orlando (December 25).

How	What	Where
sow direct	Broad bean, peas, lettuce, cabbage, Swiss chard, beet, parsley, cilantro, arugula, chamomile, chickpea, dill, kohlrabi, mustard greens	all
plant sets	Onion, shallot	all
start indoors, plant out in January	Cauliflower	all
start indoors, plant out in February	Tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, chili pepper, Florence fennel, moringa	all
start indoors, plant out in March	Celeriac, celery, chayote	all

Compared with November: new — tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, chili pepper, Florence fennel and moringa; no longer sown — Brussels sprouts.

Not starting in December: zucchini (January, started indoors), green beans (February, sown direct) and spinach (no month outdoors by these rules) — dates for Orlando.

Ready to harvest in December in Orlando, if sown in the right month: zucchini (October), green beans (October), watermelon (September), pumpkin (August), sweet corn (September), basil (October), arugula (November) and bok choy (October).

Frost possible, highs of 61–72 °F: Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Gainesville and Pensacola

In December, on average, these cities have highs of 64 to 69 °F and lows of 49 to 51 °F, 2.5 to 5.2 in of rain on 7 to 11 days; the day lasts 10 h 12 min to 10 h 15 min (on the 15th).

December falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait. Average first frost: Jacksonville (December 27), Tallahassee (December 23), Gainesville (December 24) and Pensacola (December 19).

How	What	Where
sow direct	Broad bean, peas, lettuce, radish, carrot, cabbage, broccoli, Swiss chard, beet, parsley, cilantro, arugula, chamomile, daikon, dill, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, parsnip	all
plant sets	Onion, shallot	all
sow direct	Spinach	Jacksonville, Tallahassee and Pensacola
start indoors, plant out in January	Cauliflower	all
start indoors, plant out in February	Tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, chili pepper, Florence fennel, moringa	all
start indoors, plant out in March	Celeriac, celery, chayote	all
start indoors, plant out in February	Brussels Sprouts	Tallahassee and Pensacola
sow direct	Chickpea	Jacksonville and Gainesville
sow direct	Turnip	Pensacola

Compared with November: new — radish, tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, chili pepper, daikon, Florence fennel, moringa and 1 more.

Not starting in December: zucchini (January, started indoors) and green beans (March, sown direct) — dates for Tallahassee.

Ready to harvest in December in Tallahassee, if sown in the right month: zucchini (October), green beans (October), watermelon (September), pumpkin (August), sweet corn (September), basil (October), arugula (November) and bok choy (October).

How we work it out

For each city we use its average weather in December and the months after (highs, lows and rain for 2016–2025, ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo) and its average frost dates. A crop starts in December if the month's mean temperature reaches the minimum soil temperature for germination on its card (we use the mean air temperature as a stand-in for the soil's) and if, over its first months (up to three), the average highs stay within its group's range, with no frost for crops that cannot take it. Crops started indoors count from the month they are planted out.

Temperature groups from Colorado State University Extension: cool-season crops prefer 60–80 °F and lose quality in heat; hardy ones grow in days as cool as 40 °F, semi-hardy ones from 40–50 °F (we use 50 °F); warm-season crops need days above 55 °F, and the most tender (tomato, pepper, eggplant, melon, watermelon, squash) above 60 °F, up to 95 °F. Crops the guide does not name go into the stricter group by their frost hardiness. Fava (broad) beans, which the guide does not name, count as hardy: hardy varieties are sown in fall and overwinter (RHS). Garlic and bulbs: a month before the first frost, and later only while the ground is not frozen (as on each city's page).

Miami follows the UF/IFAS planting months for South Florida crop by crop (fall is the main season there); the other Florida cities follow the general rule.

This is a general rule from averages: your garden can be a week or two earlier or later, and a greenhouse or a cold frame brings the season forward. Greenly works out the dates for your location.