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!

Black Cherry tomatoes are a sought-after heirloom variety known for their distinctive appearance and exceptional taste. Originating from a blend of traditional cherry tomato varieties, this cultivar has become popular for its rich, dark color and robust flavor. The tomatoes are small, typically about the size of a marble, with a deep, dusky purple to black hue that turns almost mahogany when fully ripe. Their flavor is renowned for its sweet, complex taste with subtle hints of smokiness, making them a delightful addition to salads, snacking, and gourmet dishes. Black Cherry tomatoes usually reach maturity in about 60 to 70 days, making them one of the quicker-maturing cherry varieties. The plants exhibit an indeterminate growth habit, producing fruit continuously throughout the growing season and requiring staking or caging to support their vigorous, sprawling vines. With their attractive color, rich flavor, and prolific yield, Black Cherry tomatoes are a favorite among gardeners and culinary enthusiasts seeking both beauty and taste.

Late Flat Dutch cabbage seeds produce one of the oldest and most reliable heirloom cabbage varieties, first introduced to American gardens in the mid-1800s and prized for its large, flat, broad heads. This late-season type matures slowly, typically in 100–110 days, forming dense, firm heads that can weigh 10–15 pounds, making it excellent for gardeners seeking high yields and long storage. Its flavor is mild, sweet, and crisp, improving after light frost exposure, which enhances its natural sugars. Historically valued for sauerkraut production, it remains a top choice for fermentation, coleslaw, boiling, and traditional cooking, while its long shelf life makes it a staple for winter kitchens and homestead food preservation.

The Dazzling Blue Kale is a beautiful, cold-tolerant lacinato-type that produces large blue-green leaves with deep purple veins. This kale is sure to add a delicious pop of color to any salad! This variety will survive freezing temperatures better than other lacinato types and will even intensify with cool temperatures.

The Lacinato Kale is an old Italian heirloom kale that has very large tender leaves. This favorite is now available in organic seeds! The Lacinato, or also known as Dinosaur kale, Black Magic or Toscano, is popular for home gardening and fresh markets. Its scaly, bumpy leaves are large dark blue-green and very delicious. Pick young for the most tender leaves. The Lacinato produces high yields and can be harvested continually. Certified Organic. Learn more about our organic seeds.

Great field cabbage performance. A rugged hybrid that produces well in Southern winters and Northern summers. Produces large, blue-green heads with cream colored inside. Uniform cabbage that works great for markets.

The Premier Kale, or also known as Early Hanover, is a high yielding kale with delicious and nutritious green leaves. This kale is early maturing that produces high amounts of smooth, dark green leaves. Plant Premier in the fall so that it produces higher yields and resists bolting 4 weeks longer. This kale's taste is a favorite and is extremely high in antioxidants and beta carotene!

Trinidad Scorpion Butch T pepper seeds produce one of the hottest chili peppers in the world, known for its intense heat and distinctive fruity flavor. Originating from Trinidad, this pepper earned its spot in the Guinness World Records as the hottest pepper in 2011, with heat levels reaching over 1.4 million Scoville Heat Units (SHUs). The peppers grow on compact plants and mature into small, wrinkled, reddish-orange pods that pack a fiery punch. Despite their extreme heat, Trinidad Scorpion Butch T peppers are also prized for their complex flavor profile, offering a slightly sweet, citrus-like taste before the intense heat kicks in. Ideal for hot sauce production, spicy foods, or daring pepper enthusiasts, these seeds are best suited for experienced gardeners who are prepared to handle the intense heat and care required for growing this fiery pepper.

The Purple Beauty Pepper is a productive pepper plant that produces attractive deep purple colored peppers! This pepper is an open-pollinated variety with a sweet tasting 3x3" block shaped peppers. Pick when the pepper is purple or wait for it to turn deep red when its mature, which happens later in the season. The Purple Beauty is a great pepper for container gardening and can add that extra kick to your salads or meals.

The Imperial Star Globe Artichoke, scientifically known as Cynara scolymus 'Imperial Star,' is a remarkable and highly sought-after variety of artichoke. Originating in Italy, this artichoke has a rich history dating back centuries. It is believed to have been cultivated by the ancient Romans and Greeks for its culinary and medicinal properties. The Imperial Star Globe Artichoke is a testament to the enduring popularity of this unique vegetable. In terms of taste, the Imperial Star Globe Artichoke is renowned for its tender and flavorful heart, which is the edible part of the plant. Its taste is often described as nutty and slightly sweet, with a mild, earthy undertone. This makes it a favorite in gourmet dishes and appetizers, as well as a popular addition to salads and dips. The Imperial Star Globe Artichoke is a type of globe artichoke, characterized by its large, round, and spiky green flower heads. These artichokes can reach a size of 4-6 inches in diameter, making them an impressive addition to any garden or dinner table. They typically take around 85-100 days to reach maturity from seed, although this can vary depending on growing conditions. Each plant produces multiple flower heads, and they are known to be prolific producers. Seeds from the Imperial Star Globe Artichoke are readily available, and they thrive in well-drained soil with plenty of sunlight, making them a popular choice for home gardeners and culinary enthusiasts alike.

The Vintage Wine Tomato is a favorite tomato among gourmet gardeners! This is a wonderful tomato plant to add to your garden as it grows large tomatoes that can reach 1.5 lbs. This variety produces big pink colored tomatoes with golden stripes that have a great tender, sweet and mild flavor. The Vintage Wine plant has potato leave foliage.

The Yolo Wonder Pepper is a great new and improved tasty pepper for home gardens. This variety is a top quality very well shaped pepper with thicker walls and a very blocky shape with 4 lobes. The Yolo Wonder Pepper will give great high yields!

The Lemon Drop is an excellent seasoning pepper from Peru with some heat! When mature it will ripen to be a bright yellow that occasionally turns a purple blush depending on maturity. The Lemon Drop's crisp and clean, uncomplicated flavor is hot with some citrus notes. Its Scovilles top out at 35,000 units.

Organic - The Cayenne Long Thin Pepper is a traditional medium heat cayenne pepper with a great flavor! This variety is a long and thin pepper that produces unbelievably high yields. These peppers will mature red and are wrinkled with a mixture of straight and curly fruits. Cayenne Long Thin is excellent for drying, pickling and fresh eating to spice up your chili or salsa. This pepper plant is bushy and reaches 26" tall. Conventional seed available.

This Guinness World Record holding tomato plant set a record for yielding over 340lbs of fruit. This plant will produce an abundance of bright red, 10+oz. (455-g) fruits perfect for slicing, canning and making into sauces. First introduced by plant breeder John Peto as a hybrid between the Teddy Jones heirloom tomato and an unknown red variety. Their flavor is well-balanced, combining sweetness with a hint of acidity, making them perfect for fresh eating, salads, and sauces. These indeterminate plants continue to grow and produce fruit throughout the season, often reaching heights of 4-6 feet, necessitating staking or cage support. They thrive in warm climates and require full sun, ideally being planted after the last frost. With a growing period of about 70-75 days to maturity, Better Boy tomatoes are usually ready for harvesting from mid-summer through fall. Their robust nature and disease resistance make them a favorite for gardeners seeking a reliable and delicious crop.

The Alma Paprika Pepper is a great pepper for drying and grinding into paprika! This highly productive cherry pepper that ripens from cream white to orange and then to red. This pepper variety has thick walls with a mild flavor. The Alma Paprika grows well anywhere throughout the United States.

The German Giant Tomato is a giant potato leaf heirloom type of tomato with a rich, sweet flavor! This variety is a deep pink hue that grows to be 30+ ounces. The German Giant tomato is favored for being very juicy.

The Homestead Tomato is a very heat tolerant tomato, making it perfect for growing in southern and hotter climates. The luscious and meaty 8 ounce mid-sized tomatoes have a bright red smooth skin. The Homestead tomato variety is semi-determinate.

The California Wonder is not just any bell pepper, its the best of class. By far, this variety is America's favorite variety of pepper! The California Wonder pepper is a standard bell pepper that is widely adapted. These pepper plants produce very sturdy frames that are easy to grow. This pepper always produces well formed, juicy, crunchy, large pepper fruits. Familiar to all vegetable gardeners for ages, this classic heirloom pepper has set the standard since the late 1920s. This pepper was developed by the eccentric plant breeder, Carrol Briggs, in his grow years. The California Wonder contains high amounts of vitamin A and C and is disease resistant to tobacco mosaic virus. This pepper variety is very popular, and much preferred by many market growers and home gardeners!