Zone 7b planting calendar

What to plant in February: zone 7b

A rule-of-thumb starting point for zone 7b: last spring frost around April 5, first fall frost around November 5. 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.

These are zone-average dates. Check an area-level frost estimate from thirty years of nearby weather history and this calendar retimes itself.
Typical last frost: April 5
Typical first frost: November 5
Winter lows: 5 to 10 °F
Zone 7b Almanac. What growers here actually recorded: sowing weeks, days to first pick, and yields.

Dormant care

Start indoors

  • Pepperaround Feb 8

    8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Pinch first flowers on transplants so the plant invests in roots before setting fruit.

  • Parsleyaround Feb 8

    8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Soak seeds 24 hrs before sowing. Cut outer stems and it comes back for years in mild zones.

  • Chivesaround Feb 8

    8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Divide the clump every 3 years: one plant becomes six with no effort.

  • Oreganoaround Feb 8

    8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Harvest just before flowering for the strongest flavor. Dries beautifully.

  • Thymearound Feb 8

    8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Needs sharp drainage. Plant in gravelly soil or a raised bed edge. Never wet feet.

  • Sagearound Feb 8

    8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Prune hard in spring to prevent woody stems and keep the plant productive for 5+ years.

  • Eggplantaround Feb 8

    8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Eggplant sulks in cold soil. Transplant 3 weeks after last frost, not on it. Harvest while skin is glossy: dull skin means bitter, seedy flesh.

  • Scallion (Green Onion)around Feb 8

    8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Sow thickly in a band and harvest by pulling every other plant: the rest fill in the gap.

  • Jalapeño Pepperaround Feb 8

    8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Corking (light brown cracks near the stem) means the pepper is fully ripe and at peak heat, not damaged.

  • Poblano Pepperaround Feb 8

    8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Picked green it's a poblano; left to ripen red on the plant and dried, it becomes an ancho chile.

  • Cayenne Pepperaround Feb 8

    8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Thin-walled pods dry easily on the plant or strung indoors; harvest for drying once fully red.

  • Shishito Pepperaround Feb 8

    8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Pick while still green and wrinkled for the classic blistered appetizer; about 1 in 10 fruits carries real heat.

  • Lemon Balmaround Feb 8

    8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Cut back hard before it flowers and sets seed, or it self-sows into every corner of the garden.

  • Marjoramaround Feb 8

    8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Tender compared to oregano; treat as an annual outside zone 7 and bring a pot indoors for winter if you want it to persist.

  • Lovagearound Feb 8

    8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Grows 4-6 ft tall once established; give it the back of the bed and divide the crown every few years to keep it productive.

  • Catniparound Feb 8

    8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Fence it off if cats roam the neighborhood: they'll flatten the plant and any seedlings around it rolling in the scent.

  • Anise Hyssoparound Feb 8

    8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Deadhead spent spikes to extend bloom all summer; bees and hummingbirds favor it over almost anything else nearby.

  • Tomatoaround Feb 22

    6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Bury 2/3 of the transplant stem. Roots form along the buried stem for a stronger plant.

  • Kalearound Feb 22

    6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Fall crop sweetens after first frost. Plan a July sowing for the best flavor.

  • Broccoliaround Feb 22

    6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). After cutting the main head, side shoots keep coming for weeks: don't pull the plant.

  • Basilaround Feb 22

    6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Pinch flower spikes the moment you see them: leaves stay sweet all season.

  • Cabbagearound Feb 22

    6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Firm heads need steady water and steady nitrogen. Once a head feels solid, cut it: leaving it in summer heat splits it open overnight.

  • Caulifloweraround Feb 22

    6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Cauliflower is the fussiest brassica: any check in water or nitrogen makes it button into a tiny head. Blanch white types by tying outer leaves over the curd.

  • Brussels Sproutsaround Feb 22

    6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). This is a fall crop: frost is what turns the sprouts sweet. Around 4 weeks before harvest, top the growing tip so the plant pushes size into the sprouts.

  • Kohlrabiaround Feb 22

    6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Harvest the swollen stem at tennis-ball size, no bigger: past that it turns woody and fibrous fast.

  • Romanescoaround Feb 22

    6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). It's slower and fussier than cauliflower; give it the longest cool-weather window you can, spring or fall, not summer.

  • Cucamelonaround Feb 22

    6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Grows from a small tuberous root that overwinters indoors in pots north of zone 7; pick fruit at grape size for the best crunch.

  • Tomatilloaround Feb 22

    6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Plant at least two for pollination: a single tomatillo rarely sets fruit. Husk turns papery and splits when ripe.

  • Ground Cherryaround Feb 22

    6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Fruit drops when ripe, husk and all: rake or hand-pick off the ground every few days rather than picking from the plant.

  • Radicchioaround Feb 22

    6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Cool fall weather brings out its best deep red color and mellows bitterness; grow it as a fall crop where possible.

  • Sorrelaround Feb 22

    6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Snip flower stalks as they appear to keep leaves tender; the lemony tang fades if the plant is allowed to bolt.

  • Malabar Spinacharound Feb 22

    6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Not a true spinach; it's a vigorous heat-loving vine that replaces greens through the hottest weeks other greens can't survive.

  • Summer Savoryaround Feb 22

    6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Harvest just before flowering for the best flavor, then shear the whole plant back for a second flush.

  • Chamomile (German)around Feb 22

    6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Pick flowers at midday once fully open, on a dry day, for the strongest tea; it dries quickly on a screen out of direct sun.

  • Shiso (Perilla)around Feb 22

    6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Self-sows aggressively once established; pinch spent flower spikes if you don't want volunteers taking over next spring.

  • Anisearound Feb 22

    6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Needs a long, warm, frost-free season to set seed; stake plants, as the thin stalks flop once seed heads fill out.

  • Epazotearound Feb 22

    6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Self-sows freely once established; use a light hand in cooking, since the flavor is strong and a little goes a long way.

Direct sow

Transplant out

  • Raspberryaround Feb 22

    Goes out 6 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Blueberryaround Feb 22

    Goes out 6 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Blackberryaround Feb 22

    Goes out 6 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Grapearound Feb 22

    Goes out 6 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Applearound Feb 22

    Goes out 6 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Peararound Feb 22

    Goes out 6 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Peacharound Feb 22

    Goes out 6 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Rhubarbaround Feb 22

    Goes out 6 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Plumaround Feb 22

    Goes out 6 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Cherryaround Feb 22

    Goes out 6 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

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