Mild Winter Areas
Zones: 7b–9a
These zones experience mild winter weather and are warming quickly in March. Many cool-season crops can be direct sown outdoors. It is also a great time to start warm-season favorites indoors, while keeping frost protection on hand for unexpected cold snaps. And of course, sprouts and microgreens are always in season indoors!
Indoors (fresh harvests):
- Microgreens: peas, broccoli, sunflowers, arugula.
- Sprouts: alfalfa, broccoli, radish, mung
- Herbs & greens under lights: chives, parsley, mint
Crops to start indoors in good light: Cucumber, melons, squash, pumpkin
Transplants to move outdoors (weather permitting - harden first): alyssum, lettuce, basil, okra, zinnia
Crops that can be directly sown outdoors in March (assume intermittent frosts; a low tunnel or row cover makes most of these reliable): Sweet pea, bunching onion, fennel, bean, beet, corn, Swiss chard, marigold, and more
Cover crops: winter rye, fava bean, hairy vetch, red or white clover, and cover crop mixes.
Tip: A critical time to know your average frost-safe date and watch for late frosts. Most homegrown starts should be hardened off for 7 to 10 days to acclimate to outdoor conditions.
Use your USDA zone as a guide. Microclimates matter—coastal/urban spots run warmer; high elevation runs colder. 7b pockets can follow “Mild” recommendations with protection.
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![Legend: H for Heirloom, O for Organic, A for AAS Winner, F for staff favorites]()
Watermelon Seeds - Picnic - Tendersweet Orange
Citrullus lanatus (90 days) Yummalicious orange, crisp, sweet, watermelon that is not only colorful, but also intensely tasty. Watermelon Seeds - Tendersweet Orange This is the standard for orange fleshed...
Digitalis (Foxglove) Seeds - Mixed Color
2nd-year maturity. Digitalis purpurea. Digitalis Mixed Color Seeds. Non-GMO, Perennial. Mixed Color foxglove seeds grow classic and delicate blooms where other flowers would wither. Mixed Color seeds deliver compact 12-18"...
Alyssum Seeds - Royal Carpet
56-63 Days to maturity. Lobularia maritima. Royal Carpet Alyssum Seeds. Non-GMO, Open-Pollinated, Annual. Open-pollinated seeds. Royal Carpet Alyssum flower seeds are an essential fragrant and award-winning plant whether kept in...
Shasta Daisy Seeds - Alaska
2nd-year maturity. Leucanthemum × superbum. Shasta Daisy Alaska Seeds. Non-GMO, Perennial. Ornamental. Shasta daisy Alaska seeds promise classic, home-grown American color to your home, patio, or garden this season. Alaska...
All Perennial Flower Seeds Mix
50-65 Days to maturity. All Perennial Mix Wildflower Seeds. Non-GMO perennials. Custom blended wildflower mix full of exclusively gorgeous perennials! This mixture is for ornamental landscaping. These plants can be...
Echinacea Seeds - Cheyenne Spirit
70-80 days maturity. Echinacea x hybrida. Echinacea Cheyenne Spirit Seeds. Non-GMO, Heirloom, Perennial. Echinacea grows as a warm-season perennial and flowering herb native to Central North America. This vigorous echinacea...
Squash Seeds - Winter - Blue Hubbard
Blue Hubbard Squash is a blue-gray-green slightly ridged and warted winter squash variety. it's best attributes is its long storage time (6 months!) and its perfectly sweet taste. Don't let...
Cosmos Seeds - Bright Lights
56-63 days. Bright Lights cosmos seeds grow a playful, robust, and familiar annual sown among sunflowers and wildflowers. Bright Lights seeds grow hardy, drought tolerant cosmos shrubs as high as...
Pepper Seeds - Sweet - Gypsy Hybrid
62 Days to maturity (from transplant). Capsicum annuum. Gypsy Hybrid Pepper Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, hybrid, AAS Winner, sweet-type, with no heat levels. 0 Scoville Heat Units. Suitable for growing in...
Mustard Seeds - Red Giant (Organic)
48 days. Non-GMO, Heirloom Organic Red Giant Mustard Herb Garden Seed from True Leaf Market. Brassica juncea. In general, mustard is an ideal garden plant to grow near herbs. As...
Lettuce Seeds - Jericho
(26 days for baby greens, 56 days for full size) Jericho Lettuce Seeds. Silky smooth neon green romaine leaves reach for the sky in this amazing lettuce with origins in...
Cauliflower Seeds - Self-Blanche
52 days. Large, close-jacket leaves make blanching easy. Deep, smooth, fine-grained heads. This is great for freezing and pickling; a low-calorie, nutritious snack that can be refrigerated and eaten raw...
Mustard Seeds - Tatsoi
50 days. Non-GMO, Heirloom Tatsoi Mustard Herb Garden Seed from True Leaf Market. Brassica rapa subsp. narinosa. Tatsoi Mustard or "Spoon Mustard" comes from China and gained tradition as a...
Onion Seeds - Short - Yellow Granex PRR Hybrid
110-160 Days to maturity. Allium cepa. Yellow Granex PRR Onion Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, hybrid, cold tolerant, bulbing, short-day onion. Suitable for growing in greenhouses, garden plots, raised beds, and containers....
Eggplant Seeds - Long Purple
80 days. The Long Purple variety of eggplant grows to be up to eight to ten inches long . The Long Purple reaches maturity in eighty days and is suitable...
Zinnia Seeds - State Fair Mix
60 - 80 days. Zinnia elegans. Annual. State Fair Mix Zinnia seeds grow some of the tallest and brightest Zinnias growing this summer. State Fair Mix Zinnia seeds deliver brilliant...
Zinnia Seeds - Thumbelina Mixture
60-70 Days to maturity. Zinnia elegans. Thumbelina Mix Zinnia Seeds. Non-GMO, AAS Winner, annual. Thumbelina Mix Zinnia flower seeds are a small, adorable, and vibrant addition to grow in any...
Bean Seeds - Bush - Aquadulce Fava
70-85 Days to maturity. Vicia faba. Organic Fava Bean Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, organic, open-pollinated, heirloom, bush, shell, fava bean. Suitable for growing in containers, garden plots, raised beds, and greenhouses....
Plantain Seeds - Boston
60-90 Days to maturity. Plantago lanceolata. Boston Plantain Herb and Cover Crop Seeds. Non-GMO, cool-season perennial, open-pollinated, forage friendly (cattle and sheep). Boston plantain is a narrow-leaf type of plantain...
Coleus Seeds - Rainbow Mixture
84-91 Days to maturity. Plectranthus scutellarioides. Coleus Rainbow Mixture Seeds. Non-GMO, Annual. Rainbow Mix coleus seeds are a fun plant for many gardens across the country. Rainbow Mix seeds grow...
Squash Seeds - Winter - Japanese Red Kuri (Uchiki Kuri)
95 days to maturity. Cucurbita maxima. Japanese Red Kuri (Uchiki Kuri) Winter Squash Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, heirloom, open-pollinated. Suitable for growing in fields, garden plots, raised beds, and containers. Teardrop-shaped...
Tomato Seeds - Slicing - Heirloom Rainbow Blend (Organic)
80-100 Days to maturity (from transplant). Solanum lycopersicum. Organic Heirloom Rainbow Blend Tomato Seeds. Non-GMO, warm season annual, organic, open-pollinated, heirloom, indeterminate, slicing tomato. Suitable for growing in garden plots,...
Eggplant Seeds - Fairy Tale Hybrid
50 days. AAS Winner for 2005. New miniature eggplants are white with violet/purple stripes. The fruit are non-bitter, with a tender skin and few seeds. The elongated, oval eggplants can...
Milk Thistle Seeds
80-100 Days to maturity. Silybum marianum. Milk Thistle Seeds. Non-GMO, annual or biennial, open-pollinated, heirloom. Suitable for growing in fields, containers, garden plots, and raised beds. Milk thistle is a...
Lettuce - Microgreens Seeds
8-14 days. Lettuce microgreens make a great salad base for a microgreens salad because of its mild taste and soft texture. They can also be grown into baby greens, which...
Lettuce Seeds - Leaf - Lollo Rosso
50-70 days. These non-GMO Lollo Rosso lettuce seeds grow into green leaves with red edges that are ready to harvest in 60 days. The Lollo Rosso thrives in full sun...
Cucumber Seeds - Armenian Striped
50-75 Days to maturity. Cucumis melo. Armenian Striped Cucumber Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, open-pollinated, heirloom, monoecious, slicing cucumber. Suitable for growing in fields, containers (with support), garden plots, raised beds, and...
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