As December begins, it’s clear that New Jersey’s growing season has officially ended. While some cool-weather plants can still be grown during this time, the chances of starting new crops outside are nearly nonexistent. While a few might argue exceptions exist, they are rare.
In mid-November, I picked a batch of red peppers from my vegetable garden. Why is this significant? Because it was mid-November—something that wouldn’t have been possible in my part of New Jersey just a decade ago.
What’s more, in 2023, I successfully grew warm-weather crops, such as peppers and tomatoes, past Thanksgiving. This marked a new milestone, as it was the first time I managed to keep these plants thriving outdoors beyond the holiday, without the usual cold temperatures killing them off.
Last year, my plants lasted until November 29, just two days beyond Thanksgiving, before the cold finally took its toll. In comparison, Thanksgiving 2024 fell on November 28, and I only made it to November 29 before frost set in. This slight shift in dates shows that, between 2023 and 2024, the growing season in my garden was extended by four days.
The extension is notable. The 2023 season already set a record for the longest time my warm-weather plants survived before the cold arrived, and 2024 almost broke it by continuing into late November. This year, my garden had 16 pepper plants, and on the evening of November 29, I harvested the final crop just before temperatures were predicted to dip below freezing.
Because the temperatures didn’t drop below freezing until November 29, I was able to leave the peppers on the plants a bit longer, watching them ripen further. With a few more warmer days, I might have ended up with more ripe peppers. However, it’s rare for New Jersey gardeners to see a crop like this survive into December. In fact, this year’s growing season extended only two days into December. Perhaps 2025 will be the year I can say I kept my peppers growing past November for the first time ever.
While I’m excited to see the growing season stretch longer each year, this trend is far from normal. It’s not that it’s not getting cold, but rather that the temperatures are not falling low enough during the night. Each year, the season extends by a few extra days on average.
By December 1, these plants should have been long dead. Whether the same will happen in 2025 remains to be seen.
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