What to plant in January: zone 7a
A rule-of-thumb starting point for zone 7a: last spring frost around April 15, first fall frost around October 25. Zones are set by winter lows, not frost dates, so two gardens in the same zone can be weeks apart. Measure your ZIP below for dates from your area's own 30-year record.
Plan & order
- Soil testaround Jan 7
A $20 test now tells you what to amend before planting instead of guessing all season.
Dormant care
- Sharpen and oil toolsaround Jan 14
Clean, sharpen and oil blades while there's time. Dull tools bruise plants and slow you down.
- Prune dormant fruit treesaround Jan 28
Prune apples, pears and peaches while fully dormant. Open the center, remove crossing wood.
Start indoors
- Sow microgreens indoorsaround Jan 21
A tray on the windowsill gives you a cut of fresh greens every 10-14 days through the cold months.
Direct sow
- Rutabagaaround Jan 21
Soil is ready 12 weeks before last frost.
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