What to plant in February: zone 8a

Patch row cover, cold frames and hoops now so a late freeze can't catch you unprepared.

Chit potatoes in a bright, cool spot for 2 weeks. Sprouted pieces jump ahead once planted.

8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Pinch first flowers on transplants so the plant invests in roots before setting fruit.

8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Soak seeds 24 hrs before sowing. Cut outer stems and it comes back for years in mild zones.

8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Divide the clump every 3 years: one plant becomes six with no effort.

8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Harvest just before flowering for the strongest flavor. Dries beautifully.

8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Needs sharp drainage. Plant in gravelly soil or a raised bed edge. Never wet feet.

8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Prune hard in spring to prevent woody stems and keep the plant productive for 5+ years.

8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). 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.

8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Sow thickly in a band and harvest by pulling every other plant: the rest fill in the gap.

8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Needs 150+ frost-free days: outside zone 8+ it's best in a greenhouse or very large container brought in before frost. Pinch off flowers so energy goes into the root, not seed pods, which are toxic.

8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Corking (light brown cracks near the stem) means the pepper is fully ripe and at peak heat, not damaged.

8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Picked green it's a poblano; left to ripen red on the plant and dried, it becomes an ancho chile.

8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Thin-walled pods dry easily on the plant or strung indoors; harvest for drying once fully red.

8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Pick while still green and wrinkled for the classic blistered appetizer; about 1 in 10 fruits carries real heat.

8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Cut back hard before it flowers and sets seed, or it self-sows into every corner of the garden.

8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Tender compared to oregano; treat as an annual outside zone 7 and bring a pot indoors for winter if you want it to persist.

8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Pinch flower buds as they form; once it blooms, leaf sweetness drops off sharply. Overwinter indoors north of zone 8.

8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). 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.

8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Fence it off if cats roam the neighborhood: they'll flatten the plant and any seedlings around it rolling in the scent.

8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Deadhead spent spikes to extend bloom all summer; bees and hummingbirds favor it over almost anything else nearby.

6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Bury 2/3 of the transplant stem. Roots form along the buried stem for a stronger plant.

6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Fall crop sweetens after first frost. Plan a July sowing for the best flavor.

6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). After cutting the main head, side shoots keep coming for weeks: don't pull the plant.

6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Pinch flower spikes the moment you see them: leaves stay sweet all season.

6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Firm heads need steady water and steady nitrogen. Once a head feels solid, cut it: leaving it in summer heat splits it open overnight.

6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). 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.

6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). 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.

6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Harvest the swollen stem at tennis-ball size, no bigger: past that it turns woody and fibrous fast.

6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). It's slower and fussier than cauliflower; give it the longest cool-weather window you can, spring or fall, not summer.

6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Grows from a small tuberous root that overwinters indoors in pots north of zone 7; pick fruit at grape size for the best crunch.

6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Plant at least two for pollination: a single tomatillo rarely sets fruit. Husk turns papery and splits when ripe.

6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Fruit drops when ripe, husk and all: rake or hand-pick off the ground every few days rather than picking from the plant.

6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Cool fall weather brings out its best deep red color and mellows bitterness; grow it as a fall crop where possible.

6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Snip flower stalks as they appear to keep leaves tender; the lemony tang fades if the plant is allowed to bolt.

6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Not a true spinach; it's a vigorous heat-loving vine that replaces greens through the hottest weeks other greens can't survive.

6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Harvest just before flowering for the best flavor, then shear the whole plant back for a second flush.

6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). 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.

6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Self-sows aggressively once established; pinch spent flower spikes if you don't want volunteers taking over next spring.

6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Needs a long, warm, frost-free season to set seed; stake plants, as the thin stalks flop once seed heads fill out.

6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Self-sows freely once established; use a light hand in cooking, since the flavor is strong and a little goes a long way.

5 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). The most forgiving green in the garden. Harvest bottom leaves upward and it produces for months. Leaves picked after a frost are noticeably sweeter.

5 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Grow it as a fall crop where possible: napa bolts in spring heat but forms a tight, sweet head in cooling fall days.

Soil is ready -8 weeks before last frost.

Soil is ready -6 weeks before last frost.

Soil is ready -6 weeks before last frost.

Soil is ready -6 weeks before last frost.

Soil is ready -6 weeks before last frost.

Soil is ready -6 weeks before last frost.

Soil is ready -5 weeks before last frost.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Turn in compost, cut down cover crops, and let the soil warm two weeks before the first sowing.