Love Your Garden this February

February is an early start to the spring season, with many flowers and crops being ready to plant. There are many great jobs to do in the garden, starting with preparing plants ready for a beautiful bloom in spring.

Continue with garden maintenance throughout the month as well to thoroughly prepare for spring and think about what you want your garden to look like this year.

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Vegetables to sow this February

Lettuce

February is a great month to sow lettuce seeds undercover, in beds, greenhouses or under cloches. This helps protect them from the colder weather and allow them to grow and flourish. The seeds should be sown thinly, around 1cm deep and in rows of 30cm apart. Top tip: Sow a new row every two weeks to ensure continuous growth throughout spring.

Turnips

Early varieties of turnips such as Milan Purple Top and Atlantic are great to sow in February as long as they are protected under covers either by cloches or in a greenhouse. Sow the seeds 1cm deep in the soil and space the rows 25-30cm. This will provide them with the best conditions to grow in.

Radishes

Sowing radishes in February is great for an early crop, and they should be sown in pre-warmed soil and kept either under cloches or in greenhouses, this will help them retain the warmth they need to grow. Sow them in short 1cm drills and 2.5cm apart.

Peppers

Mid-February is the perfect time to start sowing peppers. They should be sown and kept in a greenhouse to retain their heat whilst they are first growing, as they thrive in warm conditions. Sow into small individual pots with moist compost and keep them at around 18 degrees Celsius to help their growth.

 

 

Garlic

When planting garlic, we recommend always buying from a garden centre in order to have the correct variety. Garlic thrives best when planted in the colder months as this helps the plant thrive, as well as mixing a small amount of general-purpose fertiliser with the soil before planting. Plant the clovers individually 15cm apart, with the tip of the clove 2.5cm below the soil.

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Flowers to sow this February

Cosmos

Cosmos are great border and bedding plants and look great indoors and outdoors. Fill a small seed trap with peat-free seed compost, sow the seeds on the surface of the soil and cover a layer of soil over the top. Keep the tray in a heated space either indoors or in a greenhouse between 18-25 degrees Celsius.

Salvia

Salvia likes to grow in full to partial sun, they should be planted in a location that receives at least 6-8 hours of sunlight. Sow Salvia plants in well-draining soil and plant approximately the same depth of the pot the plant arrived in, fill in with soil.

Antirrhinum

Late February is a great time to sow Antirrhinum seeds, they look best in bedding and borders. They should at first be sown in greenhouses to retain their heat and encourage growth. Sow them the same depth of the pot they arrived in and around 30cm apart, giving their roots plenty of room to spread and grow.

Liatris

Sow Liatris seeds indoors, during February and move them outside in March. Sow the seeds on the surface of firmed moist compost and lightly cover them compost. Keep the seeds warm between 15-22 degrees Celsius to allow for growth.

 

Snowdrops

Snowdrops are gorgeous tiny plants, related to Amaryllis and Daffodils, they grow best in clusters in borders and bedding. Sow the snowdrop bulbs 15cm deep in and around 20cm apart for a higher impact once grown.

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February Top Tip: 

Sprinkle fertiliser on and around the base of roses and flowering shrubs to encourage growth.

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Chitting Potatoes

This process is simply encouraging your potatoes to chit before planting them. February is a great month to start this process and think about planting them 6 weeks after starting the chitting process. Keep them in warm conditions, to allow the potatoes to chit. Once they are ready to plant, the shoots will be around 1-2cm. Plant them 30cm apart and around 13cm deep.

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Essential kit for February.

Here are a few things we think will help you be productive in the garden this month. All are available on our online store for home delivery.

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Thanks for reading. Come back next month for more gardening tips!