Prep your garden now for a possible December cold snap

It’s too soon to tell if December will actually yield some winter-y temperatures, or if we’re in for another typical Florida winter. Either way, prepare your garden now in case the thermometer takes a dive.

• If you are growing orchids, bring them inside when the temperature is forecasted to go below 50 degrees. This will protect them from possible chill or freeze injury.
• Make sure that all of your plants are thoroughly watered, especially if the cold snap is forecasted to be windy.
• Next, turn off your irrigation timer! If your sprinklers turn on and then off, either just before or during the freeze, more damage will occur than if the irrigation had never been turned on at all.

Amaryllis makes a beautiful garden addition or gift

• Spray tender plants with liquid seaweed (i.e. Maxicrop) solution a day or two before the freeze is forecasted to arrive. Spray both sides of the foliage with a fine mist to lower the freezing point of the leaf by 2 to 3 degrees.
• Cover tender plants with blankets, quilts or a mattress pad. If you will be using a plastic tarp, construct a frame around the plant to keep the plastic away from the foliage. If the cold front is forecasted to be windy, secure the covering so that it can’t blow away.

• Make sure that all of your tender, tropical plants have a thick layer of mulch, up to 4 inches deep, to protect the root system.
• Move potted plants into the garage or house. If they must stay outside, move them together and cover the entire group with blankets or quilts.
• If a hard freeze is forecasted, of temperatures 30 degrees or below, you can also place a light bulb or Christmas lights underneath the cover. LED bulbs will not work for this since they don’t produce any heat. Make sure that none of the hot bulbs will come into contact with the blanket, quilt, tarp, etc.

If you do feel like doing some gardening, don’t let the cooler temperatures stop you.

With the shorter days and cooler temperatures, you won’t need to do much for your turf. Just mow it every other week or so and water it, at most, once a week. Do not fertilize the turf in the winter because the grass isn’t actively growing and therefore won’t absorb the nutrients. Fertilizing in the winter can lead to nutrients leaching into the nearest waterbody.

Deciduous trees and shrubs can be pruned after they have shed all of their leaves.

And don’t forget to foliar “feed” your vegetable plants, citrus and avocado trees with a liquid seaweed solution. Spray a fine mist on both sides of the leaves on a weekly basis. For all other fruit-producing trees, shrubs and vines, try to spray them at least every other week.

• Flowers that can be planted in December include alyssum, calendula, dianthus, pansy, snapdragon, viola, stock, petunia, sweet peas and flowering kale.
• Some herbs that can be planted are garlic chives, chives, lemon grass (plant this in a large pot), parsley, rosemary, Mexican tarragon, fennel, mint, thyme, lemon balm, Greek oregano, salad burnet, lavenders, chervil (a winter annual that has a licorice flavor) and sage.
• Plant some bulbs like African iris (Morea), amaryllis, anemones, crinum, day lily (Hemerocallis), society garlic (Tulbaghia violacea), spider lilies, rain lilies (Zephyranthes), Agapanthus, Astec lily (Sprekelia), kaffir lily (Clivia), calla (Zantedeschia), hurricane lily (Lycoris), Tritonia, Watsonia, Elephant ears (Alocasia, Colocasia, Xanthosoma) and narcissus.
• Vegetables that can be planted in December include, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, collards, endive/escarole, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, onions (green and shallots), English or snow peas, radishes, spinach, Swiss chard and turnips.
• Vegetable seeds that can be sown in December for transplanting in January are arugula, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, collards, endive/escarole, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, English peas, spinach and Swiss chard.

Compost piles, kitchen scraps create richer gardens

Sally Scalera is an urban horticulture agent and master gardener coordinator for the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences.

Gardening events in December

Brevard County Farmers Market — Every Thursday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Wickham Park Equestrian Center