What to plant in January: 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.
Dormant care
- Sharpen and oil toolsaround Jan 4
Clean, sharpen and oil blades while there's time. Dull tools bruise plants and slow you down.
- Prune dormant fruit treesaround Jan 18
Prune apples, pears and peaches while fully dormant. Open the center, remove crossing wood.
Start indoors
- Sow microgreens indoorsaround Jan 11
A tray on the windowsill gives you a cut of fresh greens every 10-14 days through the cold months.
- Start onions and leeks indoorsaround Jan 25
Alliums need 10-12 weeks under lights before they go out. The earliest sowing of the year.
- Onionaround Jan 25
10 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Match day-length to your latitude. Long-day north of 37°, short-day south.
- Rosemaryaround Jan 25
10 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). In zone 6 and below, grow in a pot and overwinter indoors near a south window.
- Leekaround Jan 25
10 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Plant seedlings deep in a 6 in trench and hill soil up the stem twice during the season. That buried length is the tender white shaft you're growing for.
- Celeryaround Jan 25
10 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Celery is a water crop: it turns stringy and bitter the moment it dries out. Keep soil consistently moist and feed steadily. Homegrown stalks are thinner and far more flavorful than store celery.
- Lavenderaround Jan 25
10 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Lean, gritty, well-drained soil and no coddling. Plant on a slight mound, skip the fertilizer, and prune a third of the plant after bloom to stop it going woody.
- Celeriacaround Jan 25
10 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Needs a long, steady season: start indoors early and keep soil evenly moist the entire time or the knob stays small.
- Habanero Pepperaround Jan 25
10 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-05). Needs more heat and a longer season than bell peppers; start indoors early and don't rush it outside until nights stay above 55F.
Direct sow
- Rutabagaaround Jan 11
Soil is ready -12 weeks before last frost.
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