Rest and plan

The plot in December

The shortest days. Pick the winter greens, look back at what worked, and start the list for next year.

Sow indoors

Nothing to sow under cover this month.

Sow outdoors

Too cold or too late to sow outside.

Plant

Garlic
Raspberries
Blackcurrants
Gooseberries
Rhubarb

Pick

Cabbages
Kale
Brussels sprouts
Swedes
Parsnips
Leeks
Chard

Jobs on the plot

Pick winter veg. Sprouts, kale, leeks and parsnips for the Christmas table.
Review the year. Write down what did well, what failed and what you grew too much of.
Draw next year's plan. Move each crop family on to the next bed.
Winter prune. Currants, gooseberries, apples and pears, on a dry day.
Clean and oil tools. A wipe with an oily rag stops rust.
Stay off wet soil. Walking on it squeezes the air out. Work from a plank if you must.

Times are for an average year in the English Midlands. Go two weeks earlier in the mild south, and two to three weeks later in the north and in Scotland.