"winter" garden - testing the zone

60 degrees today as i write about the texas winter garden. still odd but nice to be able to dig around most of the year. as the temps suggest, it turned out to be quite a balmy day. tempting to us gardeners down here in zone 8. a question though, considering the general warming of most locals, am i not closer now to a zone 9 status? well to see, i'm doing a test.

i've planted a number of items that might normally wish to wait a month or so before dropping in. i'm curious to see if I can get a few choice items to survive months that they would not normally contend with. i'll take extra care to be aware of any sudden cold snaps.

currently growing- winter garden staples
cabbage
broccoli
broccoli rabe
brussel sprouts
kale (3 types)
chard (2 types)
carrots
beets
onion
herbs (cold tolerant perennials)
turnip
rutabaga
fennel

planted today (cold tolerant)
spinach
corn salad (mache)
snow peas
shelling peas
cilantro
dill
i hope it stays cool enough for the peas to take off. i've been holding off due to the warm temps. i love peas, it would be lovely to see them do well.

and the test:
potatoes (2 types)
normally potatoes would wait another month or so before planting but i figured i'd try to drop them in and see what happens. it's just been so mild, why not try? two observations lead me to give this experiment a shot.
1. i saw several okra plants that I had cut back over a month ago flower! okra is a heat lover so this was a big surprise.
2. i saw new leaf and buds forming on two eggplant stalks i had cut back around the same time as the okra. eggplant is also a heat lover so if these babies are willing to make the effort then why not potatoes?

perennial flower seeds- this is also a bit early but we'll see how it goes.

i'll just keep an eye on temps and cover the area with hay if a bit of warmth is needed. i'm hopeful.