Zone 7 Planting Guide
Complete 2026 seed starting calendar for Zone 7a and Zone 7b
Published July 11, 2025
Zone 7 is a gardener's paradise. Covering areas of Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and parts of the Pacific Northwest, Zone 7 offers a 245–265 day growing season with mild winters and long, warm summers. With the right timing, you can produce an extraordinary variety of vegetables from February through November.
Zone 7 Seed Starting Windows
🏠 Indoor Seed Starting
Begin peppers and eggplant indoors in early January. Tomatoes follow in late January. Onions and leeks can start in December for the largest bulbs.
🌾 Direct Sow Outdoors
Direct sow peas and spinach outdoors in late January to early February — 4–6 weeks before your last frost. Beans and corn go in after frost risk has passed in mid-March.
🌱 Transplant Window
Harden off tomatoes and peppers from late February, and transplant to the garden from mid-March (Zone 7b) or late March (Zone 7a).
🍂 Fall Garden
Zone 7's long fall season is ideal for a second major garden. Start broccoli, kale, and cabbage indoors in July and transplant in August for a Thanksgiving harvest.
Best Tomato Varieties for Zone 7
Zone 7's long, warm growing season is ideal for tomatoes. You can grow almost any variety, but these five consistently outperform in Zone 7's unique climate:
🍅 Cherokee Purple (Indeterminate, 80 days)
This heirloom favorite thrives in Zone 7's warm days and mild nights. The deep purple-black fruits have a rich, smoky flavor that tomato enthusiasts prize. Plant in mid-March (Zone 7b) or late March (Zone 7a) for a steady supply from July through October.
🍒 Sweet 100 (Indeterminate, 65 days)
An incredibly productive cherry tomato that produces hundreds of sweet fruits per plant. In Zone 7's long season, a single Sweet 100 plant can yield from June until the first November frost. It is also one of the most disease-resistant varieties available.
🥫 Roma (Determinate, 75 days)
The ultimate paste tomato for Zone 7 gardeners who love making sauce and salsa. Roma sets a heavy crop of meaty fruit all at once — perfect for a weekend of canning. Plant a second batch in July for a fall harvest that often tastes sweeter than the spring crop.
🌿 Big Boy (Determinate, 78 days)
A classic slicing tomato bred for reliability. Big Boy handles Zone 7's humidity better than many heirlooms and produces large, uniform fruit. It is a great choice for beginners because it sets fruit consistently even when weather conditions are less than perfect.
🔥 Jet Star (Indeterminate, 72 days)
Jet Star is a Zone 7 favorite for good reason. It is exceptionally disease-resistant, produces smooth medium-large fruit, and has a classic tomato flavor. The plants are vigorous and produce well even in the hottest part of Zone 7's summer.