Dear Gardening Go-Getter,
December is here, and with it, a period better known for hibernation than for gardening. However, adding a few tasks to your garden to-do list will ensure a bountiful spring and summer.
For instance, gardeners in warmer regions of the U.S. can start seeds indoors toward the end of the month. If you start English lavender, chives, lemon balm, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, and sorrel now, they’ll be ready to transfer outdoors after the last spring frost in early March.
Outside, gardeners in cold regions can take advantage of snow to help insulate plants from the winter’s cold. In addition to insulation, melting snow adds moisture to the soil and provides nutrients, such as nitrogen, that plants can take up later in the season.
This is also a good time to prune dead and dangerous tree limbs, unless you’re in warm regions of the southern and southwestern U.S. Don’t forget to apply tree paint to the wounds made in sawing off limbs.
Inside, help your houseplants thrive by placing them near each other (and away from icy windows) to form a “support group” to cope with the low humidity of winter homes. Any houseplants with large leaves can benefit from being washed with a damp cloth to remove dust.
What other gardening tasks should you take care of in December? December is, of course, not the same in Mississippi as it is in Minnesota. In Gulfport, MS, you can continue planting hardy annual seeds, like petunias and violas. But in Duluth, MN, it’s time to check the fruit and vegetables that you have in storage and discard any that are damaged or diseased. How about Seattle, WA? | | December Gardening Tasks for the Pacific Northwest | With winter fast approaching in the Pacific Northwest, here are some tips and tricks for getting your garden ready.
- Avoid heavy mulching around the bases of trees and shrubs, as the mulch provides cover for small rodents.
- Don’t let snow pile up on shrubs and tree branches.
- If you have a woodstove or fireplace, you can use wood ashes to raise your soil’s pH. (Check the pH before applying and don’t use the ashes if the pH is greater than 7.0.)
- Keeping up with yard maintenance now will save you a lot of work in the spring. Remove leaves, withered stalks, and winter weeds from your lawn.
- Ensure that firewood isn’t stored near the house or inside
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| December Gardening Tasks for the Southwest | For our friends living in the Southwest, your garden tasks are quite different! - Avoid major pruning over the winter, but remove any dead, diseased, or damaged branches from trees and shrubs.
- Plant cool-weather vegetables such as beets, carrots, chard, lettuce, spinach, and turnips.
- In dry weather, occasionally water your lawn, shrubs, and small trees.
- Set out bird feeders with food and water to attract birds to your garden during the winter.
| | | December Gardening Tasks for the Midwest and Rocky Mountains | If you’re living in the Midwest and Rocky Mountain regions, from Montana to Missouri, your list is focused on maintenance.
● Save and inventory any leftover seeds.
● Move your houseplants away from icy windows and water them with tepid water, as cold water could shock them.
● Remove the snow from evergreen shrubs to prevent them from breaking.
● Relax and dream about next year’s garden! | | December Gardening Tasks for the Northeast | Moving over to the Northeast, these gardening tips should keep you in good shape for the winter.
● Cover your compost pile to prevent rains and snow from leaching out nutrients.
● Since houseplants grow more slowly in the December light, cut down on watering them by half until active growth resumes.
● Apply a layer of winter mulch to protect your perennials after the first few freezes.
● Relax and dream about next year’s garden! | | December Gardening Tasks for the Southeast | If you live in the Southeast, gardening tasks this month look somewhat similar to what your neighbors in the Southwest are doing.
● In some areas, you can still plant cool-season vegetables, such as beets, broccoli, cabbage, onions, and carrots.
● You can still transplant trees and shrubs.
● Clean the rows in your garden to help prevent insects and diseases.
● In empty garden beds, spread manure and compost and plow under to prepare your soil for next year.
If you want more gardening tips and much more useful information, wit, and wisdom, you can get it all with The Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening Club |
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With your Charter Membership in The Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening Club, you’ll get The Old Farmer’s Almanac Garden Guide, the 2019 Gardening Calendar, the hangable softcover 2019 edition of the Almanac (it has a hole in the corner!), and our monthly EXTRA! digital magazine with information about monthly gardening tasks and other content not found in the print edition. With a Charter Membership in The Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening Club, you’ll learn more about:
● How to grow nearly three dozen bulbs, including what kind of soil, light, and spacing is best for each plant
● Which flowers and herbs attract butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden
● Planting by the Moon’s phase, including both the planting dates and the Moon-favorable dates for more than 50 common vegetable | | Tap into the deep well of resources at The Old Farmer’s Almanac for a bountiful harvest of gardening tips and tools—with a Charter Membership in The Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening Club! | Announcing The Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening Club! This new and exciting club is designed especially for you—with just the inspiration and information you need for all your gardening projects!
We’ve put together essential Old Farmer’s Almanac resources to celebrate your love of gardening and give you tons of tips for making your next gardening project as lush and lovely as it can be. And it all starts, of course, with The Old Farmer’s Almanac.
You’ll be prepared for any gardening project. Whether you garden for food, for flowers, or just for fun, a Charter Membership in The Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening Club will keep you entertained, informed, and inspired all year long!
Since 1792, The Old Farmer’s Almanac has been a traditional resource for dedicated farmers, avid and casual gardeners, folks who like to get a long view on upcoming weather trends, and people who love to collect little snippets of country wit and wisdom that they can share with family and friends.
We’re not just the oldest published almanac, but the oldest continuously published periodical in North America— and we’ve been around longer than any newspaper or magazine, too. |
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| Special Charter Membership Offer for You—
Introducing The Old Farmer's Almanac Calendar Club! |
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| Get your Charter Membership in The Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening Club today—with resources to inspire you in the garden. From time-honored country gardening tips to modern garden gadgets, come share in the bountiful harvest! | With your Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening Club Charter Membership, you get everything you need to keep your garden at its greenest:
- Our new Old Farmer’s Almanac Garden Guide—packed with no-nonsense tips, tricks, and shortcuts to make your garden a jewel in the neighborhood or out in the country. Grow food and herbs you love, surround yourself with spectacular flowers, and get tips on the latest gardening tech!
- 2019 Gardening Wall Calendar: Our perennial best-seller for over 40 years! Rich illustrations accompany useful gardening tips on everything from planting to preserving.
- The special softcover, hangable edition of The Old Farmer’s Almanac, loaded with the tips, trivia, and insights that make it a family favorite.
- The Old Farmer’s Almanac EXTRA! Our monthly digital magazine includes articles on gardening, food and other content not found in the print edition. It’s a great way to keep up-to-date on Almanacky topics throughout the year.
| | An Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening Club Charter Membership will deliver exciting rewards for you—and at a special introductory rate, right now, for all new Charter Members. | When you join today, you’ll ensure that you are planting the seeds of success for your garden when you tap into the time-honored wisdom of The Old Farmer’s Almanac. Enjoy all these benefits as an Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening Club Charter Member:
- Your best garden ever—Almanac gardening advice, planting dates, timesaving tips, and detailed guidance from experts will get you growing like never before.
- You’ll know in advance about every important astronomical event in 2019—and how the phase of the Moon can influence the success of your garden.
- You’ll save time and money when you follow all of the practical advice and tips that we deliver to you about everything from gardening to food preparation and cooking.
- You’ll be the first to know about top tips, tricks, and shortcuts for taking your garden from good to great.
- You’ll learn more about gardening gadgets and gear that can make your work in the garden even more enjoyable.
- You’ll discover new approaches to planting—for color, for purpose, for stress relief.
- Whether you’re a beginning gardener or a skilled green thumb, you’ll find do-it-yourself projects to fit your schedule—and your garden.
How can you not consider becoming an Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening Club Charter Member? | | What You’ll Get With an Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening Club Charter Membership | There’s so much gardening knowledge to gain as a Charter Member of The Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening Club:
In the convenient, hangable, softcover edition of the 2019 Almanac, you’ll find a bumper crop of gardening tips. Many gardeners consider the Almanac their most valuable tool, so this year, for all of you trying to grow food, we’ve got foolproof advice that promises a harvest the first year and every one thereafter. Perhaps you grow flowers—or want to: In the 2019 Almanac, you’ll learn which flowers are edible, when to pick them, and how to use them (e.g., pick apple blossoms in late spring and sprinkle them onto a Waldorf salad and use impatiens all summer long as a garnish).
But that’s not all. Here’s a taste of other tips you’ll find in the 2019 Almanac:
- The Faces of Farming: ambitious folks from across the country tell about how they got started, hurdles they faced, and the rewards of working the land
- Best days for planting, pruning, weeding, grafting, and controlling pests, plus the easiest-ever soil test (all you need is a pair of men’s clean, white, 100% cotton underwear and a small shovel)
- Daily weather forecasts for all regions of the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii
- Fresh new ways to savor the asparagus, beet, corn, and cucumber harvests, with “The ABCs of Pickling!”
- Easy, delicious, Almanac prize-winning recipes using oranges
Each month, you’ll get new articles and original content with our digital magazine, The Old Farmer’s Almanac EXTRA! It’s a treasure trove of Almanac information that you won’t find in the printed edition, including audio and video content. EXTRA! leads you to some interactive fun when you’re ready for a change of pace |
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| Special Charter Membership Offer for You—
Introducing The Old Farmer's Almanac Calendar Club! |
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The “Gardening Club” is really an incredible value!
Just $19.97—That’s a 62% savings! | |
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As you count the days until you can get out and garden again, enjoy the rich illustrations in our Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening Calendar. This compact calendar is the perfect size to fit on the wall in your kitchen, den, or potting shed. Each month features rich, full-color illustrations along with tips, history, or background information on the artwork.
Here are just a few of the tips you can find in our 2019 Gardening Calendar: - Start an indoor herb garden (no waiting for the last frost!).
- Choose the perfect fast-growing ground cover.
- Enhance your garden’s growth by inviting beneficial fauna.
- Pick the perfect time to plant peas—based on fact and folklore.
- Build your own bog—in a garden container!
- Find out why ladybugs are such great garden friends.
- Grow your own flower garden designed to create custom fabric dyes.
- Praying mantises: helpers or hindrances in the garden?
- As you do your garden planning, save some space for flying saucer squash.
You’ll love the advice, folklore, and gardening secrets in our 2019 Gardening Wall Calendar!
As you count the days until you can expect the last frost, peruse the pages of The Old Farmer’s Almanac Garden Guide for tips on how to grow better, naturally!
From the practical to the ornamental, plan your prolific garden with some of these tips:
- Plant edibles indoors and out, no matter how small your space is.
- Create a fun foodscape (or: How to get beyond the basic lawn).
- Get your garden off to a good start with tips on successful seedlings.
- The plants that keep on giving: Pick perennials to serve up year after year.
- Serve up your harvest in style with recipes that will let you savor the flavor of homegrown food.
And all of this is available to you—right now—when you claim your Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening Club Charter Membership |
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| Special Charter Membership Offer for You—
Introducing The Old Farmer's Almanac Calendar Club! |
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The “Gardening Club” is really an incredible value!
Just $19.97—That’s a 62% savings! | |
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| What are you waiting for? Become a Charter Member of The Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening Club today! | | No other Almanac has so many fun and fascinating facts, timely and accurate events and predictions, and topical and useful articles all in one place for your easy access and use—and covering more regions of North America than any other almanac or resource! Add The Old Farmer’s Almanac EXTRA!, The Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening Calendar, and The Old Farmer’s Almanac Garden Guide, and your garden will be the prolific pride of the neighborhood! | | Why Not Join Right Now? |
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| Gardeners everywhere have been using The Old Farmer’s Almanac for years to guide their gardening plans, and now the Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening Club Charter Membership offers you all things gardening in one place! |
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62%-OFF Charter Offer for You—Join Today!
When you respond today, you’ll be among a select group of Almanac friends to take advantage of this special Gardening Club Charter Membership offer.
With your Charter Membership, you’ll receive The Old Farmer’s Almanac Garden Guide, The Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening Calendar, The 2019 Old Farmer’s Almanac, and a subscription to our monthly digital magazine, The Old Farmer’s Almanac EXTRA!
Plant the seeds of success for your garden today—with this incredible deal!
This is a limited-time offer that you should take advantage of right now. |
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When we first created the Gardening Club, we wanted to make it easy to use, easy to order, and packed with valuable gardening content that you could put to use right away. Be the best gardener you can be with your Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening Club Charter Membership.
Sincerely,
Janice Stillman
Editor, The Old Farmer’s Almanac
P.S. Why not be among the first to join us today and benefit from the valuable Almanac gardening information that you can’t get anywhere else? Become an Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening Club Charter Member today—while this special offer lasts |
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| Special Charter Membership Offer for You—
Introducing The Old Farmer's Almanac Calendar Club! |
|
The “Gardening Club” is really an incredible value!
Just $19.97—That’s a 62% savings! | |
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