December Month of Garden, Farm, and Homesteading Chores

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Animals

• Check animals daily- Make sure all of your animals have proper bedding and plenty of feed for the winter months. Be sure to check their food and water EVERY day! Break ice, if water is frozen!
• Provide Salt and other minerals for animals during the winter months.

Garden

• Harvest (if any thing, can keep under row covers for continued forced growing)
  • Brussels Sprouts
  • Broccoli
  • Carrots
  • Greens
  • Kale
  • Spinach
  • Cilantro
  • Parsley

Make Plans for Next Year to:

• Feed The Soil (Spread hardwood ashes from fireplace or wood stove on garden beds during winter months)
• Rotate Plant families to different areas each year
• Time plantings based on when insect pests usually arrive in your garden
• Use disease resistant varieties
• Follow plants that use high levels of nutrients from the soil (takers) with plants that give nutrients back to the soil (givers) See list below for common plants in each category
  • Heavy Takers- Asparagus, cabbages, celery, corn, okra, eggplant, kale lettuces, greens, collards, spinach, Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Kohlrabi, Cucumbers, Squash, Pumpkins, Radishes, Tomatoes, Parsley
  • Light Takers- Beets, Garlic, Mustard, Parsnips, Potatoes, Shallots, Carrots, Leeks, Onions, Peppers, Rutabaga, Swiss Chard, Turnips, Sweet Potatoes
  • Givers- Beans, Peas, Clover, Compost, Cover Crops
• Order your seed catalogs so you can start ordering seeds in January. Most companies come out with a new catalog at the end of the year which is for the coming year. My favorites are  Heirloom Seeds, Seeds of Change, Berlin Seeds (Amish based company will have to call 330-893-2091), and local farmers! For a list of companies which are safe as well as Seed Companies to Avoid readGarden of Eatin’ Post on How to Avoid GMO/Monsanto. (Unfortunately, Monsanto bought out Semini’s seeds which included some of my former favorite seed companies, which now I feel cannot be trusted to give me non-GMO seeds! Garden of Eatin’ has a wonderful article on this information. I hope to have my own post some day regarding Organic Companies/Brands which really are trustworthy!)