Zone 7 Vegetables

When to Plant Zone 7 Vegetables?

Zone 7 gardeners enjoy a long growing season--and many experience seven months of frost-free gardening. Gardening season often starts in late February and extends through November.

While the last spring frost date varies with the location, it's most often in April. The first fall frost is usually in November. By taking advantage of the long spring and fall gardening seasons, zone 7 gardeners can grow cool-weather crops as well as warm-season crops.

While mustard, collards and peas are often direct seeded in February, gardening generally gets into full swing in March. Tender vegetables, such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplant, and some herbs are started indoors. Other vegetable seeds often started indoors include cole crops such as cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts.

Cool season vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, beets, carrots, kale, peas and potatoes are often directly sown outdoors in March and April. It's also a good time for planting onion sets.

Depending on where you live in zone 7, April and May is a good time for directly sowing corn seeds, bean seeds, melons and squash. While cole crop seedlings can be transplanted about two weeks before the last frost date, plant tomato, pepper and eggplant seedlings after all danger of frost has passed.

Because sweet potato slips are cold sensitive, wait until a few weeks after the last frost date to plant them.

In midsummer, around July, you can also start sowing seeds for a fall harvest. July is a good time to sow bean seeds outdoors and start broccoli and Brussels sprouts seeds indoors.

In August and September, directly sow beets, carrots, kale, lettuce, spinach, radish and peas for a fall harvest.

How to Care for Zone 7 Vegetables?

Most vegetables need 6-8 hours of direct sunlight, about an inch of water weekly and fertile, well-drained soil.

Once your garden is planted and growing, these are a couple of tips for caring for your zone 7 vegetables.

• Inspect your plants several times a week for signs of disease and insect damage.
• Ensure that your plants get adequate water. During the hot days of summer or times of drought, rainfall may not be enough and you may have to water your plants. Usually seeds and transplants for the fall garden must be watered during the warm days of summer.
• Keep your garden free of weeds. Weeds can compete with vegetable plants for nutrients, choke out plants and spread disease.
• Consider mulching. Mulch helps suppress weeds and retain moisture in the soil.
• Fertilize your plants when needed. We recommend using slow-release, all-natural fertilizers.
• Some crops may benefit from row covers. Row covers can protect plants from early spring or late fall frosts. Covers can also protect some plants from insect damage.
• Take advantage of the longer grow season and sow short-season vegetables for a fall harvest.
• Harvest vegetables before they become overly mature. Most vegetables are the most tender and flavorful before they reach full maturity.

What are the Best Early Spring Zone 7 Vegetables?

If started indoors, cole crops, such as broccoli, grows well in the early spring, cool weather. Other great early vegetables for zone 7 are lettuce, spinach, beets, peas, potatoes, radishes, onions and carrots. Perennial vegetables, such as asparagus and rhubarb, also grow well in zone 7. Plant asparagus crowns and rhubarb in early spring.

What are the Best Zone 7 Winter Vegetables?

Zone 7 gardeners often plant hardneck and softneck garlic in the fall and harvest the crop in early summer. Many cool-weather crops such as lettuce, spinach, carrots, radishes, beets and peas can be grown in the fall garden. Bush beans can also be planted for a late fall harvest. Crops such as Brussels sprouts and kale are often sweeter if harvested after a light frost. With the use of row covers, many gardeners can harvest leafy greens, carrots and other cool-season vegetables into winter.