Zone 8 - What to Plant in January

Zone 8 - What to Plant in January

January is the time to start your garden in zone 8. To be ready for the last frost you should start all transplants inside in January so you're ready to go. January is your first window to start your indoor sowings and order your seeds for the spring season. The next two months are the most important for starting your vegetables on time. Start your tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables to be ready for spring transplant!

Fragaria virginiana, commonly known as the Virginia or Wild Strawberry, is a native North American species that played a key role in the history of cultivated strawberries, having been crossed with the Chilean strawberry (F. chiloensis) in the 18th century to produce the modern garden strawberry. These plants spread by runners and form low mats, producing small, deep red berries that are celebrated for their intense sweetness and concentrated, classic strawberry aroma. While smaller than commercial varieties, the fruit packs a rich, complex flavor that many describe as more “wild” and satisfying. Adaptable and resilient, F. virginiana thrives in fields, forest edges, and meadows, with attractive trifoliate leaves, delicate white flowers, and a long tradition of use by both wildlife and people.

Fragaria vesca var. semperflorens ‘Golden Alexandria’ is a striking Alpine strawberry selection descended from long-cultivated European woodland forms, known for its unique chartreuse-to-golden foliage that adds ornamental flair to gardens. Unlike traditional runnering strawberries, it forms compact clumps that continuously fruit from late spring into fall, producing numerous small, bright red berries. The flavor is intensely sweet and aromatic, carrying the rich wild-strawberry taste that Alpine types are famous for, making them popular with gourmet growers. Its colorful leaves provide season-long visual interest, while the fragrant berries offer a delicious contrast, making ‘Golden Alexandria’ both decorative and highly flavorful.

Red Arrow radish seeds produce fast-growing plants that are primarily cultivated for their vibrant red stems and lush green leaves rather than their roots. This variety is especially prized for microgreens and edible shoots, offering a crisp texture and a bold, spicy radish flavor that adds zest to salads, sandwiches, and garnishes. Red Arrow is easy to grow, thrives in full sun to partial shade, and is well-suited for both garden beds and indoor trays. Its striking color and strong flavor make it a favorite among chefs and home growers alike.

Dating back to the 1800s, Hailstone is a classic heirloom radish prized for its exceptionally fast maturity. This variety produces small, round, snow-white roots that resemble tiny hailstones, with compact tops and slender taproots that make it ideal for close spacing. The crisp 1–1½ inch globes offer a bright, tangy flavor with a pleasant pungency, and the firm white flesh stays fresh and appealing longer than many other radishes. Hailstone performs best when planted very early in spring in a sunny, well-prepared bed enriched with organic matter. For a steady supply, sow seeds every two weeks and harvest before hot summer weather, which can affect flavor and texture.

Fire Fresh hybrid swiss chard is excellent for baby leaf or spring mix production. Produces bright red petioles and medium-dark green leaves. Has an above normal growth rate and produces long oval leaves that have a slight texture.

The Large White Ribbed Swiss Chard has a wide and flattened white stem. This variety is a popular heirloom chard that has tender and thick smooth leaves. The Large White Ribbed is very tasty and can even substitute asparagus when creamed.

The Cincinnati Market Radish is a uniquely skinny and elongated pink to red radish that is a fresh-from-the-garden-favorite! This six inch variety has a delicately mild taste with a very tender and crisp texture, making it perfect for fresh eating. The early maturing radish has been an heirloom garden favorite since 1885. You can enjoy the delicious Cincinnati Market from spring to fall.

SuperStar is a hybrid cabbage that produces the highest quality fresh market cabbages. It has excellent wrappers for a fancy pack along with excellent holding ability in the field and after harvest.

Ruby Fresh hybrid swiss chard is perfect for market growers. Perfect for producing baby leaf greens that have bright red petioles with a well-defined venation. It has thick round to oval leaves. Ruby Fresh is a great choice for baby leaf or spring mix growers.

The Tasty Evergreen Tomato is a green fleshed heirloom with a tasty, strong sweet flavor. This tomato was introduced by Glecklers Seedmen of Metamora, Ohio in 1956. This delicious large heirloom ripens to grapefruit yellow with a lime-green flesh, giving it a very sweet flavor. This very productive, medium-sized beefsteak grows well throughout the United States. The Tasty Evergreen produces a continual harvest throughout the season.

The Red Velvet Lettuce produces very dark maroon to greenish-bronze tinged colored leaves that have a nice chewy texture. This beautifully unique variety is a great choice for mixed salad greens. This lettuce is slow to bolt and will become bitter in the heat.

The White Albino beet plants produce good yields of very sweet white beets. The beets are white and will never stain again! This gourmet beet is ideal for boiling, pickling, baking, and freezing.

The prolific Louisiana Long Green Eggplant is an attractive banana-shaped variety that has a delicious full-bodied nutty flavor. This Southern heirloom variety is best picked young, with its white slightly green-ish skin, for optimal texture and flavor. This tall eggplant plant produces 8-9 inch long fruits that are slender and easy to cook with.

The mildly spicy Joe Parker Pepper is a Southwestern style traditional Anaheim that can be harvested green or red! This deliciously crisp pepper quickly changes from green to red and can be eaten at both color stages. The Joe Parker is perfect for stuffing, grilling, roasting or processing. This organic pepper plant produces high yielding semi flattened uniform fruits. Certified Organic. Learn more about our organic seeds.

The Lucullus Swiss Chard produces highly nutritious leaves from early spring until the first hard freeze in the fall. This variety produces great during the summer heat. This chard is a very popular variety grown throughout the United States.

Crunchy Royale is a dark red, round radish ideal for bunching or cello pack. It yields high quality and extremely uniform roots. Overall, Crunchy Royale offers excellent internal and external color and a high pack-out rate for growers.

The Champion Radish is slow to become pithy. This radish is an excellent cooler weather variety, especially for short season climates. This bright red, crisp, round radish has large tops and is a good choice for early or late plantings. This highly recommended radish is great for eating fresh, in salads or for garnishes.

The Crnkovic Yugoslavian Tomato is a full flavored, mid-sized bright red tomato that has a perfect beefsteak shape that is juicy inside. This variety produces heavy yields of pink beefsteaks that rarely cracks and can weigh up to a pound each. Fruits have perfect shape and a juicy flavor.