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 Marvel of Four Seasons is a French butterhead lettuce with bibb-type rosette leaves. This butterhead, also known as Merveille des Quatre Saisons, is tasty and beautiful. The Marvel of Four Seasons has a robust shape with leaves ranging in bronze, gold, red and green.

The Oakleaf Lettuce gets its name for having very tender leaves that resemble the white oak leaf. This variety is an old time favorite that tastes great in mixed salads. The Oakleaf is perfect for planting late in the season. This lettuce will stay tasty and non-bitter well into the heat of summer!

Plymouth spinach is a new variety that is great for processing or fresh market growing. It has smooth, medium-dark green leaves that are uniform in shape and size. Plymouth is a moderate to fast-growing variety and has great yield potential.

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.

The Sunbright Pepper is a delicious and crispy bell pepper for home gardens. This pepper variety is a beautiful bright yellow bell pepper, with nice yields of sweet peppers. This colorful pepper is delicious and it will add a lot of color to your salads! The Sunbright is also the perfect pepper for stuffing.

The Napoli Tomato is an exceptional, bright red Italian paste type that is perfect for slicing, freezing and canning or making into sauce, soups or paste! This tomato plant variety produces heavy yields of 1.5 x 3 inch fruits that weigh around 3 ounces. The Napoli is a favorite for being juicy and meaty.

Calabrese Green Sprouting broccoli is a popular and nutritious vegetable known for its tender florets and robust flavor. Originating from Italy, specifically the Calabria region, this variety was cultivated for centuries before gaining popularity worldwide, especially in home gardens and markets. Calabrese broccoli include its sturdy, upright stalks and large, vibrant green heads that typically form in loose clusters. The color is a rich, dark green, with tightly packed florets that can range from small to medium-sized. When cooked, Calabrese broccoli offers a slightly sweet and earthy flavor, making it a versatile ingredient in a variety of dishes, from stir-fries to soups. An appealing attribute of Calabrese is its ability to produce side shoots after the main head is harvested, providing multiple harvests throughout the season. This variety is also valued for its nutritional benefits, being rich in vitamins C and K, fiber, and antioxidants. Its hardiness and adaptability make Calabrese green sprouting broccoli a favorite among gardeners and cooks alike.

2005 American Selection Tomato! Juicy half ounce fruits, pointed oval shape, reddish pink, very sweet. Ultra high sugar content (9.5 BRIX) make 1/2 ounce fruits irresistible. Very productive vines keep setting huge clusters of fruits all season long. Terrific curb appeal.

Sorrento is a speedy maturing broccoli that is reliable for fall or late winer growing. This is our favorite Raab for fresh market and home growers. This plant has uniform large florets with bluish-green narrow turnip-shape leaves. It has a tall, upright plant habit and a low bolt tolerance.

Mortgage Lifter tomatoes are a legendary heirloom variety with a rich history and exceptional qualities. Originating from the 1930s, this tomato was famously developed by M.C. "Radiator Charlie" Byles, a farmer who sold the plants to pay off his mortgage, hence the name. These large, beefsteak-style tomatoes are known for their deep pink to reddish color and meaty texture, with fruits often reaching up to a pound or more. The flavor is renowned for its sweet, rich taste with a balanced acidity, making it ideal for slicing, sandwiches, and sauces. Mortgage Lifter tomatoes typically take about 80 to 85 days to mature and feature an indeterminate growth habit, meaning they continue to produce fruit throughout the growing season. The plants are vigorous and sprawling, requiring staking or caging to support the heavy, abundant fruit. Their historical significance, combined with their impressive size, flavor, and productivity, makes Mortgage Lifter tomatoes a prized addition to any garden.

Freckles Lettuce gets its name for being an unusual bright green romaine lettuce with crimson freckles! This uniquely colored lettuce is sun-loving and grows upright. This variety has a crisp texture that can be harvested early or late!

The red veined Red Tabby Spinach has beautiful tender smooth leaves. This variety is an excellent baby leaf spinach that does well in spring, fall and winter. Its uniform, smooth leaves grow straight and upright. Red Tabby is also resistant to downy mildew races 1-13.

The Garden Mesclun Blend is a mixture of light green to emerald, and bronze to deep red lettuces as well as endive and radicchio for a crunchy, zesty flavor that is a perfect addition to any salad!

The Large American Flag leek is a non-bulbing leek variety that forms creamy stalks. This leek'15-18" inch stalks are 3" inches wide and are yummy! The Large American is widely adapted and the sweetest member of the onion family.

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!

The Patio Tomato is a hybrid tomato that produces delicious, approximately 4 oz. fruits with attractive dark green rugose foliage. The easy to grow Patio Tomato thrives in pots, patio containers and small gardens, truly good things can grow in small spaces! Also does great as a hanging tomato plant.

An early maturing heirloom cabbage. Early Jersey Wakefield is an early variety of cabbage with pointed heads that resist splitting! A great home garden cabbage with great flavor!

The Carbon Tomato won the “Best Tasting Tomato Award” at the Heirloom Garden Show in 2005 and continues to rate very high in many taste tests! This tomato is one of the darkest of the “black tomato” varieties, and 10-12 oz. in size with a flattened round shape. This purplish-brown, "black" colored tomato has a deep brick red flesh and has a deliciously rich, sweet flavor. The fruit is medium to large, with a slightly flattened shape and a smooth, glossy skin. Carbon tomatoes are celebrated for their robust flavor profile, which blends sweet, tangy, and smoky notes, making them a versatile choice for fresh salads, sauces, and salsas. The plants are indeterminate, meaning they continue to grow and produce fruit throughout the growing season, typically reaching heights of 5 to 7 feet. They exhibit a vigorous growth habit and produce a steady yield of tomatoes from mid-summer to fall. Harvesting is usually done when the tomatoes have fully ripened and developed their deep color. With their rich flavor, striking color, and reliable productivity, Carbon tomatoes are a favorite among gardeners and culinary aficionados alike.