What to plant in December in the UK

Worked out for 40 cities from their own weather and frost dates, by zone.

What to sow and plant in December in the UK, by zone: frost possible, highs of 10–16 °C (Brighton and Plymouth): garlic, broad bean, peas, onion, spinach and 6 more; frost possible, highs below 10 °C (London, Manchester and 36 more): garlic, broad bean, peas, onion, spinach and 4 more.

In the UK, December is winter.

Frost possible, highs of 10–16 °C: Brighton and Plymouth

In December, on average, these cities have highs of 10 to 11 °C and lows of 8 to 9 °C, 106 to 138 mm of rain on 16 to 18 days; the day lasts 7 h 59 min to 8 h 03 min (on the 15th).

December falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait. Average first frost: Brighton (1 December) and Plymouth (1 December).

How	What	Where
plant cloves	Garlic	all
sow direct	Broad bean, peas, spinach, radish, cabbage, broccoli, arugula, turnip	all
plant sets	Onion	all
sow direct	Kohlrabi	Plymouth

Compared with November: no longer sown — Swiss chard, beet, parsley, cilantro, chamomile, daikon, dill and mustard greens.

Not starting in December: tomato (March, started indoors), bell pepper (no month outdoors by these rules), zucchini (April, started indoors), green beans (May, sown direct) and lettuce (March, started indoors) — dates for Brighton.

Ready to harvest in December in Brighton, if sown in the right month: broad bean (September), peas (October), spinach (October), lettuce (October), radish (November), carrot (October), cabbage (August) and broccoli (September).

Frost possible, highs below 10 °C: London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Birmingham and 34 more

In December, on average, these cities have highs of 6 to 10 °C and lows of 1 to 6 °C, 63 to 203 mm of rain on 12 to 19 days; the day lasts 6 h 39 min to 8 h 00 min (on the 15th).

December falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait. Average first frost: Swansea (1 December) and Portsmouth (1 December).

How	What	Where
plant cloves	Garlic	all
sow direct or start indoors, plant out in January	Broad bean, spinach	all
sow direct	Peas, radish	London, Manchester, Edinburgh and 33 more
plant sets	Onion	London, Manchester, Edinburgh and 30 more
sow direct or start indoors, plant out in February	Cabbage	all
start indoors, plant out in February or sow direct	Broccoli	all
plant bulbs	Crocus, daffodil, hyacinth, tulip	London, Manchester, Edinburgh and 33 more

Compared with November: no longer sown — arugula and turnip.

Not starting in December: tomato (March, started indoors), bell pepper (April, started indoors), zucchini (April, started indoors), green beans (May, sown direct) and lettuce (March, started indoors) — dates for Coventry.

Ready to harvest in December in Coventry, if sown in the right month: broad bean (September), peas (October), spinach (October), lettuce (October), radish (November), cabbage (August), broccoli (September) and kohlrabi (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 16–27 °C and lose quality in heat; hardy ones grow in days as cool as 4 °C, semi-hardy ones from 4–10 °C (we use 10 °C); warm-season crops need days above 13 °C, and the most tender (tomato, pepper, aubergine, melon, watermelon, squash) above 16 °C, up to 35 °C. Crops the guide does not name go into the stricter group by their frost hardiness. Broad beans, which the guide does not name, count as hardy: hardy varieties are sown in autumn 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). French beans, courgettes and outdoor tomatoes follow the RHS instead, in months without frost: French beans and courgettes sown outdoors in late May or early June, courgettes also started indoors in April or May; tomatoes started indoors from late March to early April and planted out in June where its average highs reach 16 °C.

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.

What to plant in December in the UK

Frost possible, highs of 10–16 °C: Brighton and Plymouth

Frost possible, highs below 10 °C: London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Birmingham and 34 more

How we work it out

Other months in the UK