Almanac
Average temperature: High 73, low 53
Rainfall: 2.31 inches
Winter arrives: Dec. 21
First frost: Average Central Florida date is Dec. 18
The moon
1. Moon phases
•Last quarter: Dec. 6
•New moon: Dec. 13
•First quarter: Dec. 20
•Full moon: Dec. 28
2. Moon sign planting dates
•Above-ground crops: 14, 15, 18, 19, 23, 24
•Below-ground crops: 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 28, 29
•Control weeds: 16, 17, 25, 26, 27
•Prune trees and shrubs: 3, 4, 12, 13, 20, 21, 22
What to plant
3. Flowers: Alyssum, baby's breath, bacopa, begonia, bush daisy, calendula, California poppy, candytuft, carnation, chrysanthemums, delphinium, dianthus, dusty miller, foxglove, geranium, goddetia, hollyhock, Iceland poppy, licorice plant, lobelia, million bells, ornamental cabbage & kale, pansy, petunia, salvia, shasta daisy, snapdragon, statice, stock, sweet pea, verbena and viola.
4. Vegetables: Beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, collards, horseradish, lettuce, mustard, onions, peas, radicchio, radishes, spinach, Swiss chard and turnips.
5. Herbs: Anise, arugula, basil, bay, chives, cilantro, coriander, dill, fennel, garlic, lavender, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, sweet marjoram, thyme and watercress.
6. Bulbs: African iris, amaryllis, anemones, bulbine, crinum, day lily, paper-white narcissus, ranunculus, society garlic, spider lilies, rain lilies; refrigerate for future planting — Dutch iris, tulips, daffodils and hyacinths.
Lawn care
7. Reduce watering to no more than once a week; it's the rule in most areas.
8. Dry spots can usually be watered as needed with a hand-held hose with an automatic shut-off.
9. Major feeding time is over for lawns.
10.Yellowing turf can often be regreened with iron or a minor nutrient spray.
11. Many lawns have major weedy areas; remove and add new sod or plugs.
12. Use spot weed-control techniques for small patches of weeds also making good growth.
13. Most lawn insects are inactive at this time; large patch a disease can be a major problem.
14. Make sure your watering system is applying the proper amount of water to wet the soil.
15. Adjust sprinklers to avoid sidewalks, driveways and streets.
16. Mow to maintain proper turf height and control weeds.
17. Replant hard-to-mow and shady areas with ground covers.
18. Create a temporary green by overseeding cold-damaged lawns or bare spots with ryegrass.
19. Help lawns survive the cold by making sure the ground is moist prior to a frost or freeze.
20. Prepare idle power equipment for winter storage.
21. Rake fallen leaves from lawns and add to the compost pile.
Fruit/vegetable gardening
22. Start seeds of the cool season crops for transplants.
23. Most warm-season vegetables have declined; replant with cool-season selections.
24. Observe new water rules; micro-sprinklers can often be used any time.
25. Plantings need less water during the cool weather; water when the surface soil begins to dry.
26. Renew mulches to conserve water and control weeds.
27. Use the cooler weather to restart in ground or container grown herb plantings.
28. Many citrus fruits are ripening; use a taste test to determine when they are ready to eat.
29. Add new cold-tolerant fruits to the landscape; delay tropical fruit plantings until spring.
30. Prepare sandy garden sites with organic-matter additions.
31. Delay deciduous fruit-tree prunings until next month; citrus pruning until mid-February.
32. Control caterpillars, a common cool-season pest, as needed.
33. Feed the vegetable garden every 3 to 4 weeks with composted manures or a general fertilizer.
34. Feeding time is over for all fruiting trees, shrubs and vines; feed again in March.
35. Control rats feeding in citrus trees.
36. Prepare shelters for cold-sensitive tropical fruits.
37. Remove banana plants that have fruited to make room for new sprouts.
38. Protect pineapples from freezing temperatures.
Landscape plantings
39. Add holiday poinsettias to the landscape in their pots to easily remove during extreme cold.
40. Fill declining flower beds with cool-season color.
41. Keep poinsettias and Christmas cactus out of the nighttime light until they show color.
42. Pruning time is over for most plants; out-of-bounds shoots can be removed as needed.
43. Cool weather may have caused cold-sensitive foliage plants to yellow; move them indoors.
44. Trees and shrubs can often go several weeks without irrigation; water as needed.
45. Add a rain gauge to the landscape and keep track of the rainfall.
46. Establish watering zones to only moisten the ornamental plantings.
47. Feeding time is over for all trees, shrubs and vines.
48. Fertilize annual flowers monthly or use a slow-release fertilizer as labeled.
49. Chilli thrips are causing major damage to many plants; control with a natural spray.
50. Hurry to plant wildflower gardens to have blooms for spring.
51. Eliminate invading vines covering trees and shrubs.
52. Use the cooler weather to transplant trees and shrubs; delay transplanting palms until spring.
53. Add new trees, shrubs and ground covers to the landscape.
54. Select trees and shrubs for their drought tolerance and pest resistance.
55. Water new plantings daily for 2 weeks; thereafter every 2 or 3 days until established.
56. Check and adjust supports holding trees and palms in an upright position as needed.
57. Maintain mulches at 2 to 3 inches over the root systems of trees and shrubs.
58. Replace declining plants with cold-hardy and low-maintenance selections.
59. Select and plant new camellias while in bloom to obtain the desired colors.
60. Work liberal amounts of organic matter into sandy or problem flower beds.
61. Remove old soil from container gardens to give new plantings a fresh start.
62. Turn compost piles at least monthly to speed the process.
63. Divide and replant perennials.
64. Bring orchids indoors when temperatures dip below 45 degrees.
65. Develop a cold-protection strategy for sensitive plants; keep covers handy.
66. Add a bird feeder and bird bath to the landscape.
67. Groom water gardens removing declining leaves and stems.
68. Repair and repaint birdhouses, landscape furniture and fences.
69. Add solar lighting to the landscape.
In the greenhouse
70. Use the cooler months to remove declining plants and rebuild collections.
71. Heat cold-sensitive plants to maintain at least 55 degrees.
72. Apply plastic covers to greenhouse frames.
73. Shelter container grown cold-sensitive plants in the greenhouse.
74. Start transplants of winter herbs, vegetables and flowers.
75. Sow papaya seeds for spring transplants.
76. Remove declining leaves and flowers to reduce greenhouse pests.
77. Feed container-grown plants monthly.
78. Clean pots and planters for future use.
House plants
79. Start paper-white narcissus and amaryllis bulbs for holiday gifts and winter blooms
80. Select holiday plants early for displays to obtain maximum enjoyment.
81. Give holiday plants a cool, bright location.
82. Christmas and holiday cactus often drop their buds when moved from one location to another.
83. Move cold-sensitive plants to a warm location.
84. Submerge root balls in water five minutes to chase out pests before bringing plants indoors.
85. Replace declining plants with new greenery.
86. Remove yellow leaves from plants affected by cold and give them a warm location.
87. Water when the surface soil begins to dry.
88. Check monthly for mites, mealy bugs and other pests.
89. Wash foliage with a mild soap solution to remove dust; control pests.
90. Turn plants weekly to produce uniform growth.
