Jobs For February

Ah – there’s nothing like a good hard frost to remind you that it’s still winter!  

We’re all itching to get out there and start ‘doing’ but remember that there’s nothing to be gained by sowing early – later sowings will always catch up once the weather warms up and you risk losing everything to frost if you’re too eager now.


 
But there are jobs that you can be getting on with in February.
 

Flower Garden

• Divide Christmas roses

 

• Plant lilies and anemones
• Take chrysanthemum cuttings
• Plant annual seeds if the weather allows
• Sow slower growing summer bedding plants under glass
• Start off winter stored dormant plants and tubers
• Bring in bulbs for forcing and plant out spent indoor bulbs

Veggie Garden

• Chit your Potatoes (put them in a light, frost-free place and watch them sprout)
• Plant some Garlic – in pots if you like
• Force some Rhubarb – the crowns do better if they are at least 3 years old
• Plant some fruit trees – make sure to dig a nice big hole and put plenty of organic matter at the bottom
• Plant a few Onion sets – leave some for early spring too
• Prepare a seed bed – you’ll be using it a lot quite soon
• Draw up a plan of action
• Continue buying seeds – like we ever stopped?
• In mild areas (like the South West of England) sow Summer Cabbage, Spinach, Radish and Broad beans – under cover of a cloche naturally
• Dig a bean trench and fill it with rotted compost or kitchen waste

 

• It’s also worth getting a start on germinating the slow ones like parsley, celeriac and even parsnips. Germinate them on damp paper in an old ice cream tub under the kitchen sink. Then transplant them into pots as soon as the tiniest sprout appears.