Zone 7 - What to Plant in January

Zone 7 - What to Plant in January

January is go time for zone 7 gardeners. January is your first window to start your indoor sowings and order your seeds for the spring season. The next two months are the most important for starting your vegetables on time. Start your tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables to be ready for spring transplant!

The Kellogg's Breakfast Tomato is an heirloom variety that produces big, bright orange fruits that are meaty and juicy with only a few seeds! This large tomato can weigh 1 pound or more! This variety has thin skin and a sweet tangy flavor. Kellogg's Breakfast will brighten up your day!

The Hot and Happy Mix is a blend of hot pepper, all colors, shapes and heats. This mix of peppers are bold and adventurous! This assortment of hot peppers includes habaneros, jalapeños, chilies, poblanos, anchos and more! Hot and Happy Mix is perfect for any hot pepper lover!

The Red Sails Lettuce is a full rosette type that produces radiant bronze-red, ruffled and deeply lobed leaves that have a mild bitter-free flavor that pairs very well in salads. This slow-bolting lettuce is ready to cut early and holds its quality very well. Red Sails has six times the vitamin A and three times the vitamin C as other supermarket lettuces. This variety thrives in cool weather, but can also grow well in the spring, summer or fall.

The Yellow Petite Bell Pepper is a mini bell pepper with flavor explosion! This sweet mini pepper variety that is high yielding and ripens to a rich yellow when mature. The Yellow Petite Bell grows to 2-3 ounces which is the perfect snack sized pepper that is excellent for market selling or fresh eating in salads or sandwiches!

The Sweetie Tomato is a prolific variety that produces an abundance of super sweet, small cherry-sized tomatoes, perfect for patio containers. This cherry tomato variety is one of the sweetest cherries around, as it boasts 12-14% sugar content and can be used for making juice or preserves without adding any extra sugar. This tomato grows exceptionally well in the home garden and will continuously produce until the first frost in fall. Sweetie produces .5-1" inch fruits in clusters of 15-20.

The Speckled Roman is a plum shaped tomato with a great flavor! This tomato variety is a beautiful colored tomato and when mature, has a bright red skin with golden streaks. This meaty tomato has a thick flesh that is excellent raw in salads, and cooks quickly into different sauces.

Waltham 29 broccoli seeds produce a classic, open-pollinated variety that was developed in the early 20th century by the University of Massachusetts at Waltham and has remained a trusted garden standard ever since. This variety forms large, deep blue-green central heads measuring 6–8" across on sturdy, cold-tolerant plants that typically reach 20–24" tall. Known for its reliability and adaptability, Waltham 29 performs especially well in cooler temperatures and is valued for its uniform growth and strong side-shoot production after the main head is harvested, resulting in generous yields over an extended period. It matures in about 74–85 days from transplant, making it well suited for spring and fall planting. The tightly packed florets have a tender texture and mild, slightly sweet flavor, excellent for fresh eating, steaming, freezing, and a wide range of culinary uses.

Brunswick cabbage is a traditional variety known for its hardiness and adaptability, making it a favorite among gardeners in cooler climates. Originating from Europe, Brunswick cabbage features large, tightly packed heads that can reach sizes of 3-5 pounds. The leaves are thick, dark green, and slightly crinkled, providing a robust texture. The flavor is mild and sweet, especially after exposure to frost, which enhances its natural sugars. Brunswick cabbage is typically harvested in late summer to early fall, and it can store well, making it ideal for winter use. This variety is often used for sauerkraut, coleslaw, and various cooked dishes due to its versatility. Brunswick cabbage plants grow upright and can reach heights of about 18-24 inches, preferring well-drained soil and full sun. Their resilience to cold weather makes them suitable for early spring and fall planting, allowing gardeners to enjoy fresh produce throughout the growing season. Overall, Brunswick cabbage is valued for its robust flavor, adaptability, and long storage life.

The White Icicle Radish is an heirloom white variety that has a warm, mild flavor. The shoulders where the radish protrudes above the ground should be green, although there is a variant with purple shoulders. This radish variety is excellent for the home garden or fresh market.

Red Jewel is early maturing and produces good size cabbages. This variety is a high-yielding red cabbage hybrid with uniform maturity. Red Jewel offers a deep red head with a short core and is ideal for both fresh and shredder markets.

The Paul Robeson Tomato is an old fashioned Russian heirloom that has a very tasty flesh that is juicy with a great acid and sweet balance. This deep maroon colored variety is slightly flattened and round and grows up to 4." The Paul Robeson Tomato is an excellent choice for cooler growing regions.

Green Ice is a crispy loose-leaf lettuce that does well in hot weather! This variety produces an abundance of crunchy loose leaves. Green Ice's leaves are curled with deep green color. This lettuce is ready in just 45 days, it is among the earliest, yet will last well into summer thanks to its superior heat tolerance. Green Ice is one loose-leaf that just won't bolt!

Great Lakes 118 lettuce is a classic butterhead variety that has gained popularity among gardeners since its introduction in the mid-20th century. Known for its compact, dense heads and vibrant green, slightly crinkled leaves, this lettuce offers a pleasing texture and rich, buttery flavor. The taste is mildly sweet and crisp, making it ideal for salads and sandwiches. Harvesting typically occurs around 60-75 days after planting, when the heads are firm and fully developed; gardeners can either cut the entire head or pick individual leaves as needed. Great Lakes 118 thrives in cooler temperatures and well-drained soil, making it a favorite choice for spring and fall planting, and it’s particularly valued for its ability to withstand heat and maintain flavor.

Riverside is a smooth spinach with dark green leaves. Grown mostly for its spade-shaped baby leaf harvesting. Riverside produces at normal rates with an upright plant habit. Excellent for growers who want premium quality product. Riverside is also very resistant to downy mildew.

Lakeside smooth leaf spinach with dark green leaves. It has a round to oval leaf shape with an upright plant habit that makes it easy to harvest. It is a very versatile variety it can be used for baby leaf, bunch or clip.

Caribbean Red Habanero is one of the hottest peppers available! This habanero is a wrinkled, red hot pepper that needs to be handled with caution! This variety can be picked green at around 70 days, but for a sweeter flavor, allow them to turn red!

The Yellow Pear is a plentiful yellow pear-shaped tomato that is vigorous and an extremely old heirloom. This tomato variety is very popular for both home gardens and markets, as it is as rich in vitamins as it is flavorful! The Yellow Pear's growth is fairly tall, so provide some staking or caging. This deliciously tangy tomato adds as pop of color in salads, sliced on a plate or in preserves, as it looks great on a summer hors d'oeuvre platter. The large plant of the Yellow Pear prolifically produces oodles of tiny yellow pear-shaped fruit with its favored flavor!

The Pink Bumble Bee has a sweet fruity flavor that is great for fresh eating and is part of the beautiful and tasty Artisan tomato collection! The attractive mix of light pinks, yellows and oranges of this tomato is a treat for your mouth and eyes. The Pink Bumble Bee is beautiful in mixes with the other Artisan tomatoes.