Zone 7b planting calendar

What to plant in February: zone 7b

Zone 7b averages its last spring frost around April 5 and its first fall frost around November 5. Everything below is timed from those two dates, so it stays useful whether you're planting for summer or for a fall harvest.

These are zone-average dates. Check an area-level frost estimate from thirty years of nearby weather history and this calendar retimes itself.
Last frost: April 5
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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