Jobs for February

Finally Spring is on its way and February is the ideal time to get the allotment prepared for some early outdoor sowings in March.  There are also plenty of things to sow indoors as well.

Sowing indoors
Brussel sprouts, Broad beans, leeks, onions, spinach, tomatoes and sprouting broccoli, sweet peppers, peas and winter salad leaves can all be sown undercover now.  It is always worth bearing in mind that although us gardeners are always keen to get going, plants sown early take a lot of care and space for a long period of time before you will be able to plant them out. Sowing to early also produces seedlings that beome leggy due to reduced light.  
It doesn't hurt to wait a while till say late March/April time when most things can be sown.  Nature has a way of making things grow when they should and later sowings of most things always catch up.

Harvest
Ready for harvesting now are Brussel sprouts, cabbages, celeriac, cauliflowers,  Kale and leeks.

General jobs
Prepare beds for sowing.  When digging over include plenty of well rotted compost or manure and cover for a few weeks to warm the soil and reduce weeds for when sowing begins in Spring.
Mulch established perennials like asparagus and artichokes.
Prune apple and pear trees whilst they are dormant.
Prune Autumn raspberries.
Prune back older stems of blackcurrants to soil level.
Clean greenhouses and cloches.

Back to monthly guide