February is here. Why not peruse our list of the best plants for February, lovely gardens this month and the gardening jobs for February.
What to plant and sow in February
With longer days comes the temptation to sow seeds with gusto, but exercise caution as sowing too much now can leave you struggling for space to grow on young seedlings later, especially if we have an extended, cold spring.
Indoors, I begin the first sowing of quick-maturing salad leaves and herbs such as basil, coriander and parsley.
Towards the end of the month, I start off chillies, bell peppers and greenhouse tomatoes, as some cultivars, including the chillies ‘Chocolate Habanero’ and ‘Jamaican Yellow’ and the sweet pepper ‘Corno di Toro’, can be slow to germinate or crop. Italian and French tomato cultivars, such as ‘Costoluto Fiorentino’, ‘San Marzano’ and ‘Marmande’, will love the extra heat from growing indoors and will stay in the greenhouse all summer (outdoor cultivars will be sown next month, ensuring they don’t grow too large before they can go outside).
In the garden there is still time to plant trees, shrubs and roses, though I would also add any new additions of perennials and biennials, especially if you have light sandy conditions that warm up quickly. BT
Onions are so useful in the kitchen, but I often find the flavour of the normal globe-shaped ones you buy in the shops too dominant. I prefer spring onions, for use in cooking as well as salads. For me, their mellow flavour melds much better with other ingredients, enhancing a dish rather than taking it over. To ensure a continuous supply, I like to sow a small amount of seed once a month, starting around now. This
way you should be harvesting the first crop just as the leeks are coming to an end. At this time of year, your chances of success are better if you sow into pots.
Try to do it thinly (something I never quite seem to manage). Spring onions can actually grow quite close together – think of the diameter of a mature onion to give you an idea of the space each one will ultimately need – but if you do need to thin the seedlings out as they grow, you can use the babies in your cooking or add them to salads.
Later on, try sowing carrots into the spaces between the onions – the smell of the onions will help
to deter carrot fly. If you do have a cold frame, the seeds will germinate much faster. If not, covering the pots with fleece will help raise the temperature a little and give them a kick-start. My favourite cultivar is
‘White Lisbon’, which is very winter hardy.
What to plant out
I am very grateful to the plant breeders for the time and energy they have put into developing cultivars of lettuce that will grow throughout the year. There really is nothing like a bowl of home-grown salad to bring some much-needed freshness and life to our tables during the colder months. The choice available is quite amazing and expanding all the time, but two tried-and-tested cultivars that have always served me well are ‘Winter Density’ and ‘Rouge d’Hiver’.
Sown in autumn, the seedlings should be a decent size and ready to plant out by now, provided you have
been diligent in protecting them against slugs. If you haven’t, just remember, there are always plug plants… At this time of theyear, when the soil is still cold, you may find lettuces do better in pots. Move them close to the house for extra protection, and cover with fleece at night. AB
