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What can you plant in february


10 Things To Do In Your Garden in February

By Doug Jimerson

Although it may be cool (or downright cold) outdoors, there are still thinks you can do in your garden. See these tips. 

1. Plant Cold-Hardy Annuals in February
In Florida and other frost-free regions, you can plant cold-hardy annuals outdoors. Choose species that can take a light frost such as pansy, dianthus, sweet alyssum, dusty miller, sweet pea, osteospermum, and calendula. If unseasonable cold weather threatens, cover your plants with a light sheet (don’t use plastic, though) until the temperatures rebound. Make sure your cover is weighed down to keep it stable in windy conditions. And, use stakes to keep it from touching foliage. Move potted flowers into a protected location.
Tip: If cold weather threatens, water the soil around your plants thoroughly. Wet soil holds the heat better than dry soil and will help warm the air close to the soil surface.

2. Inspect Houseplants
Keep indoor plant pests, such as mealybug, scale, and spider mites at bay by giving your houseplants a physical exam every time you water. These creatures thrive in the dry winter atmosphere of your home and can disfigure your favorite plants. Control pests with an insecticidal soap or houseplant insecticide. 
Tip: Give your plants a weekly spritz in the shower to help wash off invading insect pests and to increase the humidity around the plant. Most indoor plants are tropical in nature so the more humidity you can provide, the happier your plant will be.

3. Plant a Terrarium
If it’s too cold to garden outdoors in February, why not design a garden under glass? To create a miniature jungle, look for clear-glass containers that have a lid or stopper that will help maintain a humid atmosphere around your plants. For plants such as succulents that prefer a drier climate, select a large, open-mouthed container. Then, look for plants that remain compact. Good choices for a moist environment include:

For an open container try: 

Tip: Before you add soil, spread a layer of aquarium gravel over the bottom of your terrarium. This will facilitate drainage if you over water. Then, place a layer of window screen over the gravel to help prevent the soil from washing down.

4. Feed the Birds in February
By late winter many natural food sources for local birds will begin to thin out. It’s important to keep your bird feeders fully stocked until spring. Offer a variety of foods to attract the widest selection of bird species. Black oil sunflowers, for example, draw cardinals, blue jays, juncos, and a host of other species. Beef suet is ideal for woodpeckers, mockingbirds, and nuthatches. And Nyjer seed is a finch favorite. Also, include a diverse selection of feeders such as tube, hopper, and platform to accommodate the feeding habits of different bird species. 
Tip: During winter you can often attract more songbirds to fresh water than you can to food. Use a heater to keep the water in your birdbath from freezing and add fresh water every few days.

5. Start Seeds
Start flowers and vegetables that benefit from an early start indoors in February. Use grow lights to germinate begonia, geranium, coleus, eggplant, and peppers. For best results, use a soilless seed-starting mix and hang grow lights just a few inches over the top of your plants. Use a timer to keep the grow lights on for 12 to 14 hours a day. Improve germination by using a heat mat underneath your plants to keep the soil warm.  After your seedlings are up and growing, feed them with a diluted (at a quarter of the strength recommended on the packaging) solution of liquid fertilizer every time you water.
Tip: Try not to start your plants too early. Read the seed pack to find out how many weeks it will take for your plants to develop into the ideal size for the garden. Then, count backwards from your last expected frost date to get an accurate start date.

6. Plant Cool-Weather Crops
If you live in the South or Far West, you can plant cool weather vegetables such as spinach, peas, greens, onions, potatoes, lettuce, Swiss chard, beets, carrots, and radishes in your February garden. To be sure your soil is ready for planting, squeeze a handful and if it forms a tight, muddy ball hold off on planting. Ideally, when squeezed, your soil should gently flake away when rubbed between your fingers.  
Tip: To increase harvests plant in wide rows instead of single file. Use your hoe to create a shallow 6 to 10 inch wide planting bed, toss in your seeds, and cover. It’s easy and you’ll get much more produce than you would lining up your vegetables like toy soldiers.

7. Prune Roses
Late winter, while the plants are still dormant, is the ideal time to prune roses. Remove dead branches and any bloom stalks left over from last year. A good rule of thumb is to prune roses, except climbers, back by about a third each year. This promotes compact growth and improves the overall form of the plant. Climbers can be left alone unless you want to trim stray branches.
Tip: Good air circulation is important to maintain rose health. If your roses are growing into each other, prune them so air can flow between the plants. This helps prevent common fungal problems such as black spot disease.

8. Add Color Indoors
Brighten the dark, dreary days of winter with blooming tropical plants such as orchids and bromeliads. These plants provide a welcome dose of color to every room in your home. With minimum attention, orchids and bromeliads stay in bloom for months. 
Tip: For best effect, place three or more bromeliads or orchids together in an ornamental pot or urn. You’ll get bigger color show and the plants will also be easier to take care of because they aren’t scattered around your house. One watering will take care of all of them.
See some of the best flowering houseplants. 

9. Plant Bulbs
In Florida and other frost-free regions, summer bulbs such as crinum, agapanthus, dahlia, gloriosa, gladiolus, and canna can be planted now. Site them where they will receive at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight a day. Their only other requirement is well-drained soil that doesn’t remain wet and soggy after heavy rains. Mulch the bulbs to protect them from an unexpected cold snap and to minimize weeds. 
Tip: Enjoy bulb flowers weeks earlier by purchasing pre-sprouted plants at your local garden center. Bulbs are a snap to grow, but some take a while to break dormancy, so potted plants will jumpstart the color show.

10. Start a Journal
Maintaining a garden journal is one of the best ways of keeping tabs of how your garden performed each season. Take note of which vegetables tasted the best, what roses had the most fragrant blooms, the insect pests that gave you headaches, or container combinations that knocked your socks off.  Write down everything you can think of, positive or negative, about your garden so you can refer to it as you prepare for another planting season. Also, make a point to take photographs of your garden every week so you can monitor its progress through the year. 
Tip: Scan the plant tags and empty seed packets to make digital records of everything in your garden. This way you’ll create a record of what’s growing in your garden and you won’t have to physically save a mixed pile of tags and packets.

February Gardening Questions?
We love to talk to other gardeners. Email us your questions and we'll have one of our experts get back to you!

What To Plant in February

What to Plant in February

Get your garden planning started! In some warmer locations, you can begin sowing your vegetable seeds outdoors. For cooler areas, February is a great time to sow your tomatoes and peppers. You should start drawing out your garden for all the vegetables you want to grow. In late February, there are several cool weather vegetables you can directly sow out in the garden.

Listed below are flower, vegetable and herb varieties that are great to start planting in February based on the Hardiness Zone that you live in. It’s still too early for many Northern states to start their transplants indoors, but most of the warmer Southern states are ready to get going!

Broccoli (Zones 7-10):
If you live in Zones 7-10, and can find a quick growing Broccoli variety, you can harvest until it bolts in the hot summer sun!
Learn More: How to Grow Broccoli
Suggested varieties: De Cicco

Herbs (Zones 3-10):
Herbs are definitely the most popular indoor plant to grow throughout the winter months in any Zone. Plant heat loving herbs like basil, oregano, thyme and sage. Also check out the Urban Farmer Herb Kit
Learn More: How to Grow Herbs
Suggested varieties: Italian Basil, Greek Oregano, French Thyme, Broadleaf Sage

Lettuce (Zones 7-10):
In Zones 7-10, start a crop of salad mix greens that gets bright sun, but not all day. Great for spring crops until the lettuce begins to bolt in the summer sun!
Learn More: How to Grow Lettuce
Suggested Varieties: Buttercrunch, Mesclun Mix, Black Seeded Simpson

Onions (Zones 7-10):
Get those onion seeds growing! Zones 7-10 should plant long day onions, and Zones 3-6 should plant short day onions. Be careful to select an onion variety appropriate for your climate!
Learn More: How to Grow Onions
Suggest varieties: Sweet White Walla Walla, Red Creole, Yellow Spanish, Candy Hybrid

Peppers (Zones 7-10):
Fresh, crisp peppers are a garden favorite. Peppers take up little space and can produce high yields when planted close together. Plant as many different varieties as possible! They come small, big, hot, mild, and an array of different colors. For Zones 7-10, start seeds 8-10 weeks before your last frost date indoors for best results.
Learn More: How to Grow Peppers
Suggested varieties: California Wonder, Early Jalapeno, Sweet Banana, Super Chili

Tomatoes (Zones 7-10):
The most popular garden vegetable! Growing tomatoes is not only fun, but treats you to some of the best tasting fruits in the world. Tomatoes come in many colors, shapes, taste, and sizes. Grow a few varieties every year to find your favorites! For Zones 7-10 start seeds 6-8 weeks before your last frost date indoors for best results.
Learn More: How to Grow Tomatoes
Suggested varieties: Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, Siberian, Roma, Heirloom Blend

Annual and Perennial Flowers (Zones 7-10):
Now is a great time to get your spring flowers germinating and ready for spring! There are many different varieties of annuals and perennials with different grow times. Pay attention to grow times so that your flowers are ready to be planted after last frost. Below are some good varieties to start in January if you are in Zone 7-10 for a last frost in March and April!
Annuals: Zinnias, Marigolds, Geraniums
Perennials: Rudbeckias, Daisies, Poppies, Coneflowers

If you would like to see a detailed map and planting schedule for your state please select below:

Seedlings in February - recommended dates for sowing flowers and vegetables

It's cold outside. Maybe even a blizzard. And at home, the first dacha chores are already beginning. Isn't it too early? Far from it - in February, the most late-ripening and slow-growing crops are sown.

Peculiarities of winter sowing

Residents of the southern regions start sowing at the beginning of February. Summer residents of other regions of the Russian Federation can only start in the last week of the month - after all, summer will come much later. nine0003

At the end of winter the days are still short, there is little sun. You need to be prepared for the fact that the seedlings in February will need additional lighting. For this, phytolamps and fluorescent lamps are used.

For greenhouses made of polycarbonate, glass, film

Seedling calendar for February depends on the expected date of planting in open ground. It is necessary to sow 50-60 days before sending the plants to the greenhouse when growing with a pick, and 45-50 days if there is no pick. nine0017 What can be planted:

Outdoors

Leek sown in February will produce thick vitamin stalks by autumn. They will have time to ripen well and will be perfectly stored in the cellar.
Petiole and root celery are first sown in containers, then dived or thinned. Sprouts will appear in a week. At first, seedlings should be kept in a cool place (+13 ... +15) so that they do not stretch out and fall down.

Strawberries and wild strawberries have small seeds, so they are not buried, but lightly pressed down by hand. Then cover with a thin layer of toilet paper. It will let the water through, but will not allow the seeds to float during watering. Shoots will appear in 3 weeks. In May, the seedlings will be ready for transplanting into open ground. nine0003

Experiment with potato seeds. At the end of summer, only a few small tubers can be collected from each bush. But next year they will give a full harvest.

Annual flowers

Lobelia develops very slowly. More than 2 months will pass from sowing seedlings in February to flowering. Seeds are scattered superficially and sprayed from a spray bottle. Dive in bunches of 3-5 pieces.

Snapdragon is capricious - sprouts after 2 weeks, grows slowly, resistant to black leg. After the appearance of the first pair of leaves, a pick is carried out from a common container in cups to protect the seedlings from fungal diseases. nine0003

Petunias are sown in a container, then dive 1 piece into cups. If you pinch the main stem in time, the seedlings will form buds at home and end up in a blooming flower bed.

Eustoma when planted in seedlings in February bloom in July or August. Seeds are laid out with a toothpick on the surface of the soil. Seedlings dive into cups when 2 pairs of true leaves are formed. It should be noted that this flower germinates no more than 60% of the seeds.

Biennials, perennials

Perennials and biennials only flower in their second year. But some of them, when sown very early, will delight with flowers in the first summer.

As you can see, very few crops are sown in February, but this work cannot be carried over to the next month. Being late will lead to a complete fiasco - vegetables will not have time to ripen, and ornamental plants will stand without flowers for most of the summer. Open the sowing plant on time! Becker wishes you friendly seedlings, strong and healthy seedlings, rich harvests. nine0003

Published: 01 Feb 2021

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vegetables that need a lot of time for a good harvest9

celery root to ripen it will take 170 - 180 days or more. Therefore, seeds should be sown in mid-February.

Since celery is a hard growing crop (its seeds germinate very poorly and for a long time), before sowing, they must be soaked for 3 days in water (preferably snow) and changed every day. Then wrap in a damp cloth, put in a plastic bag and put in a warm dark place. nine0003

When the seeds have hatched, they are sown in a box to a depth of 0.5 cm at a distance of 2 cm from each other. The box is placed in the brightest place.

After 2.5 - 3 weeks (1) shoots dive into small (6x6 cm) pots or cups. 15 days later, they are fed with a solution of nitrophoska (1 teaspoon per 3 liters of water) at the rate of 2 tbsp. spoons per plant.

Seedlings of celery are planted in open ground in May.

Leek

The stalk of this onion is used as food. And before it becomes thick and juicy, a lot of time passes - 135 - 190 days depending on variety. Therefore, a full-fledged harvest in mid-latitudes can only be obtained through seedlings.

This delicious onion matures for a long time, so in the middle latitudes it is first grown through seedlings. I sow the seeds in February in boxes to a depth of 1 cm. The distance between plants should be 5 cm. The crops are covered with a film and placed on a bright, warm windowsill.

As soon as the first shoots appear, the film is removed. The box is transferred to a cool place where the temperature during the day will be 15 - 17 ° C, and at night - 10 - 12 ° C. If it is warmer, the plants will give a flower arrow in the first year of life, and not in the second, as expected. And you will not wait for a juicy leg. nine0003

Seedlings are planted in open ground in late April - early May at the age of 50 - 60 days (2).

Artichoke

Growing it is not easy, but it is worth the effort, because the artichoke is a real delicacy. In addition, the plant itself is very effective. The difficulty is that the seeds of this crop require stratification, that is, they must be kept in the cold before sowing. They do it this way: the seeds are mixed with wet sawdust and kept warm for 5 to 6 days. And then they put it in the refrigerator, where they should “cool” for 40-50 days. nine0003

At the end of March - beginning of April they are taken out and sown in boxes. When the first true leaf appears, the seedlings dive into pots and grow at 17 - 22 ° C. Seedlings are planted in open ground after June 10 - the artichoke does not tolerate frost.

Artichoke is a real delicacy. Photo: pixabay.com

Physalis

There are several types of edible Physalis. Most varieties belong to vegetable physalis - they ripen quite quickly, 50 - 60 days. But the Peruvian physalis, whose berries are much smaller, but many times sweeter, sings for a long time - 130 - 140 days. Therefore, it should be planted on seedlings early - in the middle - at the end of February. nine0003

Seeds are sown in individual pots to a depth of 2 - 3 cm (3). Seedlings are planted in open ground in late May - early June, when the threat of spring frosts has passed. In this case, the plants need to be deepened to the first leaves - just as they do with tomatoes.

How to improve seed germination

Seeds of some crops often germinate for a very long time - sometimes sprouts appear only after 2 weeks, or even after a month. But this is if you sow them dry. But the process can be accelerated. There are a few tricks on how to speed them up. nine0003

First you need to conduct an audit. If the seeds are no more than 3 - 4 years old, they will sprout without any extra tricks in a week. But if they were stored longer, they need to be stimulated: soak in a “cocktail” of heteroauxin and any of the growth stimulants: Bud, Zircon, Ovary. Such a solution will saturate the seeds with useful substances and increase the germination rate. And at the same time, germination - without processing, usually 60 - 70% of the grains peck, and with "doping" - 90%.

The seeds must then be germinated. They are wrapped in a damp cloth, placed inside the bag, inflated, tied, placed on a cutting board, and the board on the battery. As soon as the roots hatch, the seeds are planted in the soil. nine0003

Popular Questions and Answers

We talked with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova about growing seedlings of heat-loving crops with a long ripening period.

Why don't hot pepper seeds germinate?

This is a very common problem. The fact is that they contain a large amount of capsaicin, and this substance, which is responsible for the burning taste, prevents germination. To reduce the negative effect, the seeds must be germinated at temperatures above 32 ° C! At room temperature on the windowsill, germination will be low or even zero. nine0003

Is it possible to sow tomatoes in February?

Very early for tomatoes. The optimal age of tomato seedlings is 50 - 60 days. If you plant seedlings at the end of May, so as not to cover the plants, then the seeds for seedlings should be sown at the end of March. If you plan to plant seedlings for the May holidays under cover, then you need to sow around March 10th. If sown in February, the seedlings will outgrow.

Is it necessary to soak seeds before sowing?

This is useful when seeds are sown directly on the beds - in the field the soil dries out very quickly, so it is important that the sprouts appeared faster and could get water with their roots.

Learn more