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!

The Imperial Star Globe Artichoke, scientifically known as Cynara scolymus 'Imperial Star,' is a remarkable and highly sought-after variety of artichoke. Originating in Italy, this artichoke has a rich history dating back centuries. It is believed to have been cultivated by the ancient Romans and Greeks for its culinary and medicinal properties. The Imperial Star Globe Artichoke is a testament to the enduring popularity of this unique vegetable. In terms of taste, the Imperial Star Globe Artichoke is renowned for its tender and flavorful heart, which is the edible part of the plant. Its taste is often described as nutty and slightly sweet, with a mild, earthy undertone. This makes it a favorite in gourmet dishes and appetizers, as well as a popular addition to salads and dips. The Imperial Star Globe Artichoke is a type of globe artichoke, characterized by its large, round, and spiky green flower heads. These artichokes can reach a size of 4-6 inches in diameter, making them an impressive addition to any garden or dinner table. They typically take around 85-100 days to reach maturity from seed, although this can vary depending on growing conditions. Each plant produces multiple flower heads, and they are known to be prolific producers. Seeds from the Imperial Star Globe Artichoke are readily available, and they thrive in well-drained soil with plenty of sunlight, making them a popular choice for home gardeners and culinary enthusiasts alike.

The Marion Tomato is a great tasting, bright red Rutgers variety that is perfect for slicing and fresh eating in a salad or on a sandwich. This variety is earlier and more disease resistant and crack resistant than other tomatoes.

The Italian Heirloom Tomato is an old heirloom that is one of our most tasty tomatoes we offer, as it is just bursting with flavor! These bright red tomatoes can grow to over 1 pound per fruit! This productive variety will give you a continual harvest of these delicious fruits into fall. The Italian Heirloom is an excellent variety for cooking, eating fresh or canning.

An early cabbage with a blue-green color. Produces beautiful globe-shaped heads that have a blueish color. Very good holding ability. 3-5 lb. heads produced on low, compact plants. First introduced by Harris Moran.

The Indigo Sun is a F1 Hybrid bright yellow cherry tomato with an indigo anthocyanin pigmentation splashed around the crown. This pretty tomato has a sugar sweet flavor that is a nice balance between sugars and acids. This variety produces about eight tomatoes per cluster with each little cherry tomato weighing 1 ounce. The Indigo Sun is perfect as a snack or can be used to brighten up any salad or pasta dish!

The Blondkopfchen, aka Little Blonde Girl, is a delicious heirloom cherry tomato that comes from East Germany and has a delicious sugary flavor. This high yielding variety produces an abundance of small golden yellow 1" fruits that grow in giant clusters. The Blondkopfchen is one of the best tasting cherry tomatoes as it has a high sugar content, is crack resistant and produces well until the first frost.

Katarina cabbage has a perfect smaller head size (4”) and shape to be grown successfully in containers on patios, decks or in-ground beds, possibly as an ornamental/edible border.

Black Beauty eggplant is a classic variety that originated in the early 20th century, quickly becoming a staple in gardens and kitchens. Known for its glossy, deep purple skin and robust, oval shape, it typically reaches sizes of 6-8 inches long. The flesh is tender and creamy, with a mildly sweet flavor that enhances a variety of dishes, from ratatouille to eggplant parmesan. Harvesting occurs approximately 70-80 days after planting, when the fruits are firm and glossy, ensuring optimal taste and texture. This heat-loving plant thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, making it a popular choice for both home gardeners and market growers seeking reliable yields and delicious results.

The spicy flavor, attractive purple stems, and green leaves of the Hong Vit Radish makes it a favorite among many growers! This radish variety is also a very fast growing microgreen. The Hong Vit grows straight with hairless attractive purple stems. Micro Hong Vit's leaves add a spicy flavor, visual appeal, and bulk to mixes!

'Yellow Wonder' is a very productive variety. It is a clumping type (few to no runners) that is day neutral which means that flowering is not dependent on day length. The fruit is a pale yellow at full ripe and soft. This variety is sweeter than the red alpine strawberry varieties. There is a strong wild aroma as well.

The Jersey Devil Tomato is an extremely prolific old heirloom paste-type variety that is shaped like a little banana pepper! These juicy tomatoes have a very meaty texture that is great for making into sauces and salsas. This old favorite produces very little seeds! The Jersey Devil grows to be about 5-6 inches.

The Rio Grande Tomato produces a huge harvest of popular pear shaped, paste type of tomatoes that will thrive in hot climates! This tomato variety produces large, deep red 4 inch long blocky tomatoes that are favored for its versatility. The Rio Grande is a great tomato for sauce or juice.

The Whopper Pepper produces high yields of huge sweet bell peppers! This pepper plant produces huge yields of large 4" long by 4" wide bell peppers that will turn from green to red when ripe and ready to be picked. Whopper is one of the best bell peppers for home gardens and is excellent for salads, stuffing, sauteed, or fried. This tasty pepper also freezes well.

New Zealand spinach, known scientifically as Tetragonia tetragonioides, is a unique leafy green vegetable that thrives in warm climates, making it a popular choice in gardens. Unlike traditional spinach, which is a cool-season crop, New Zealand spinach is a perennial plant with succulent, triangular leaves that have a mild, slightly salty flavor. This hardy plant can tolerate heat and drought, making it ideal for summer gardens. It is often used in salads, stir-fries, and as a cooked green, providing a nutritious alternative to other leafy greens. With its ability to grow well in poor soil conditions and its attractive, sprawling growth habit, New Zealand spinach is not only a versatile culinary ingredient but also a valuable addition to edible landscapes.

Black Spanish Round Radish is a unique black old heirloom that has a nutty and slightly spicy flavor! This black beauty radish is making a comeback! Its firm flesh holds up well in meals. The Black Spanish Round is best grown from late winter to early spring and is a healthy spring vegetable.

The Wisconsin Lakes Pepper is a beautiful heirloom bell pepper with a bright red flesh. This pepper variety is an early maturing bell pepper that turns from green to red. This pepper is a great choice for Northern gardeners. Wisconsin Lakes was bred by Wisconsin University in the1960s and it produce a good reliable harvest of early bell peppers.

Countryside is a beautiful dark green very uniform baby leaf spinach variety. It has thick smooth round oval leaves. Countryside has good holding ability for baby leaf and it has acceptable bolt tolerance for fresh market growers. Due to its moderate growth habit, it has performed well in many West Coast baby leaf growing slots.

The Sparkler Radish is a bright scarlet colored radish with a sweet, juicy flesh and snappy flavor. This variety's scarlet skin fades to white on lower 1/3 of its round, to round oval bulb. This radish's medium tops are perfect for both home and market gardens. Sparkler can grow up to 1.5" diameter.