Gardening jobs for December: 10 tasks to wrap up the year

The final month of the year is here, and it’s time to wrap up your gardening tasks for the season. Whilst temperatures may be low, there’s still plenty to do in the garden, so don't get too comfortable!

Today, I’m sharing the 10 essential gardening tasks for December to help your garden battle through winter. prepare your garden for winter. However, we've already rounded up November’s gardening tips, so go and read those if you haven't already.

As always, I’ve been catching up with Craig Wilson, Co-founder and Director of Gardeners Dream, who's shared his expert advice for the month. These are Craig’s final tips of the year, so I’d also like to take a moment to thank him for his invaluable insights throughout 2024. Happy gardening!

Garden maintenance

1. Service your garden tools

Despite being used less, now is a good time to service tools such as lawnmowers and shears by having their blades sharpened and motors checked. It is also a good time to clean off any spades and forks and apply oil to wooden tools to prevent rust and rotting. Make sure to store them somewhere dry too.

2. Keep on top of your compost

To keep your compost bin healthy, make sure to keep turning it to help it rot down properly. You might also want to cover the top of the bin with something that will insulate it, especially as it won’t rot down properly if it's too cold and wet.

Fruit and vegetables

3. Cover brassicas with netting

You’ll need to think about covering up winter brassicas with netting to keep them from being eaten by pigeons and other birds.

4. Lift or insulate leeks and parsnips

As the temperatures fall, soil can be prone to freezing making it difficult for things to thrive. You have a choice, you can either cover the base of leeks and parsnips with straw to keep soil temperatures stable, or you can remove them from the ground now to avoid the risk of losing them to frozen ground.

5. Tidy up old crops

Remove any old crops from the ground to keep things tidy and prevent them from rotting. You can compost any healthy material, but avoid composting anything that looks like it is rotting or could be harbouring disease.

6. Fleece the tips of fig tree branches

Fig trees are susceptible to frost, so they'll need a little bit of TLC throughout the colder months. The tips of the branches will carry next year's fruits so these need to be protected by wrapping them in fleece to protect them from the frost.

Flowers, plants and shrubs

7. Utilise evergreens for your Christmas decor

If you’re someone who likes DIY Christmas decor, now is the perfect time to get out in the garden to find stems and flowers to add to your homemade wreaths and garlands. Think evergreens, mistletoe and berried shrubs!

8. Insulate tender shrubs

As we move into December, temperatures are dropping and will continue to do so at a much faster rate. Tender shrubs and climbing plants are going to need a little bit of extra protection from the chill, so it's a good time to start layering the base of these plants with straw to help keep soil temperatures from getting too cold.

9. Prune dormant shrubs

If you find your shrubs are looking a bit overgrown and unruly, prune them now whilst they are dormant to keep them looking neat and tidy all winter long.

Lawn care

10. Keep clearing away fallen leaves

Continue to keep your lawn clear of fallen leaves to avoid any dead patches of grass. They needn’t go to waste though – you can spread them over your borders as a nutritious mulch for your plants, which will help improve the soil quality.

Check out our gardening jobs for January if you're looking for a head start.