If flower bulbs and garlic cloves didn't make it into the ground last fall, they can be replanted from mid-February if the ground is frost-free. The cold frame can be ordered and the first vegetable plants can be grown on the windowsill. In the flower garden, the first perennials can be divided and the first hedges cut.
What are the most important gardening tasks in February?
In February, vegetables and herbs should be grown on the windowsill and summer flowers should be planted. Harvest the last winter vegetables in the bed. Plant spring-flowering bulb flowers and trees in frost-free weather. No plant propagation. Prune trees in mild weather. Garden planning, fertilization, cold frame preparation and repotting of potted plants.
Summary
A lot of things are possible in February: Icy cold and snow can still leave the garden in deep hibernation, warming rays of sunshine and bright blue skies sometimes give an idea of spring. In this last month of winter, preparations for the coming gardening season begin. These tasks await the gardener:
- Sowing: Growing vegetables and herbs on the windowsill, growing summer flowers
- Harvesting: last winter vegetables left in the beds
- Plants: Spring-blooming bulb flowers, trees (only on frost-free days!
- Propagate: No plant propagation is planned in February
- Cutting: Woody plants (only on frost-free days!)
- More gardening work: Create a garden and mixed crop plan, fertilize and lime, prepare cold frames, repot potted plants
Sowing in February
- Sowing outdoors: It is still too cold to sow outdoors in February. Only in very mild regions can you plant the first seeds - such as broad beans and spinach - from the end of the month.
- Sowing in the greenhouse and on the windowsill: From the second half of February you can grow the first vegetables in the frost-free greenhouse and on the windowsill. Lettuce, kohlrabi, radishes, spring herbs and slow-germinating celery are particularly suitable for the greenhouse. Heat-loving species such as tomatoes, peppers, chili, eggplant, etc. are recommended for the windowsill. Also from the end of February it is time to pre-cultivate perennial herbs such as lavender, sage or rosemary, which also germinate best on the windowsill.
Harvests in February
Before it gets warmer, you should harvest the last of the winter vegetables. Otherwise, lamb's lettuce, Brussels sprouts and kale will bloom and then become inedible. If you have covered them well with pine branches or something similar, you can also harvest a few green leaves of parsley, winter purslane, spoonwort or St. Barbara's herb. On the warm windowsill, however, you can sow cress, chervil, basil and rocket over and over again, which continuously supply fresh vitamins.
Plants that bloom in February
The first snowdrops are beginning to bloom in sheltered places and the bright yellow winter aconites are also opening their flower shells. In addition, with a bit of luck and good weather, the flowers of the first primrose of the year - the primrose - will appear in February, and winter snowballs and Christmas roses will also compete with their splendor.
Planting and propagating in February
There is no plant propagation in February, but you can still plant a few plants. However, this is only possible on mild days and when the ground is frost-free. You can definitely plant deciduous trees in the ground in February. The bulbs of spring flowers - such as tulips - can also be placed in the ground now if you didn't do this in the fall.
Cutting in February
If it doesn't freeze too much, it's a good time to trim the trees. Take advantage of the time because as soon as the sap begins to rise in the trees towards the end of March, the pruning work must be completed. If possible, the diameter of the wounds should not be larger than five centimeters so that any frost that may occur cannot penetrate there and cause damage from the inside. Shred the tree cuttings and mix them with the compost. The woody waste can also be used to create a hill bed.
Flowering bushes and, in mild regions, the first roses can also be cut in frost-free weather. Only with forsythia do you wait until after flowering, otherwise you will cut off the buds and the forsythia flower will fall out unintentionally.
Plant diseases and pests in February
On warm days the first apple blossom pickers are out and about. Tie strips of corrugated cardboard around the trunks of the apple trees and check often early in the morning to see whether any of the animals have hidden underneath. In this case, collect them. Glue rings can now be removed, instead brush the fruit tree trunks thoroughly with a root brush.
Blood louse colonies and their white protective coverings are now clearly visible in the bare trees. You can brush them off as described or brush them with fern extract. Always check for possible infestations of voles and rats. If necessary, take appropriate measures to drive away the animals.
More gardening work in February
- Create a garden plan and plan mixed crops: Create a proper garden plan with all the mixed and subsequent crops that you have in mind. Draw all the garden beds on a large sheet of paper and carefully enter the plantings planned for the coming year. Take into account that every species has good and bad neighbors and optimize your planting planning accordingly. Please keep this planning carefully in the following years so that you can maintain a he althy crop rotation.
- Buy seeds and order new plants: In February the selection of seeds as well as new shrubs, roses or perennials is particularly large, as many people only buy them when the actual season begins Buy garden season. So order now. If you plan to grow vegetables and fruit on your balcony or terrace, you should now get planters and soil. Planting in protected places near the house can soon begin.
- Trunk care: The trunks, especially of the fruit trees, need special attention in February. The strong change between warm midday sun and frosty nights causes tension and cracks in the bark. To protect them, coat the trunks with lime milk or a mixture of horsetail and tansy broth, seaweed lime and clay powder. The light paint reflects the sun and thus softens the temperature contrasts. The nourishing substances it contains strengthen the bark and make it more resilient. Alternatively, you can simply place boards in front of the logs.
- Spread fertilizer and lime: On frost-free days, you can lightly rake your beds and spread fertilizer and lime where necessary. Condensation and rain gradually wash the nutrients into the soil. Use lime and lime-containing fertilizers such as Thomas flour or stone powder, but only where there is a real lime shortage. A soil sample using a commercially available lime test will provide you with information about this. Compost and organic fertilizer, which slowly dissolve in the soil, can also be spread now. These include, for example, horn shavings and coarsely rotted manure. Rake everything lightly into the top soil. Fertilizer is now also spread on the tree slices. Then cover the areas with a layer of mulch.
- Prepare the cold frame: In preparation for the first spring sowings, you can now prepare the cold frame. Pack fresh horse manure into the previously dug bed pit, which is approx. 60 to 70 centimeters deep, and press this heat pack down firmly. The horse manure layer should ultimately be approx. 30 to 40 centimeters thick. Add approx. 20 centimeters of good humus soil on top. If the windows of the cold frame are closed, the manure will soon begin to rot and generate a lot of heat. This warms the soil so that you can start sowing the first seeds in the warm box towards the end of February.
- Repotting potted plants: As soon as the sun shines warmer again, new life begins to appear in the overwintered plants. Now it's time to get geraniums, fuchsias, angel's trumpets, lantanas and many other hibernators out of their winter quarters. Cut the plants back and place them in fresh soil, if necessary in larger pots. The balcony and pot plants are then given a warm, bright place again, where they will soon sprout again. The sooner you take the plants out of their winter quarters, the sooner they will start flowering. Timely pruning is particularly important in the greenhouse, where when the sun is shining, high temperatures accelerate growth significantly.
- Attracting summer flowers: You can now grow tuberous begonias, canna and Indian flower reeds in bowls and pots. You should also sow summer flowers that require longer pre-cultivation on warm windowsills and in a frost-free greenhouse. These include, for example, asters, snapdragons, zinnias, trumpet tongues and ornamental tobacco. For later cultivation in balcony boxes, sow male faithful, verbenas and busy lizards.
FAQ
What gardening work will be done in February?
In the last month of winter, the signs are already clearly pointing towards the preparation of the new gardening year. Now you can create concrete garden and planting plans and plan mixed and subsequent crops. Apply slow-acting fertilizer and lime, prepare the cold frame for the first sowing at the end of the month and order seeds and new plants ahead of time.
What is sown in February?
In February you can already grow the vegetable plants and summer flowers for the new season, especially on the windowsill or in a sufficiently warm greenhouse. In particular, the first, quickly maturing crops (lettuce, spinach, kohlrabi, radishes, etc.) for spring planting as well as slow-growing crops and ornamental plants should be sown now.
What to plant in February?
On frost-free days, you can actually still plant deciduous trees and spring-flowering bulb flowers such as tulips in February. However, the condition is that the weather is mild and the ground is not frozen.
What is pruned in February?
If you haven't finished pruning the tree yet, you should hurry up: this work should be done by the first shoots in March. Therefore, even in February, on frost-free, dry days, you can still use secateurs and cut deciduous trees and flowering bushes - with the exception of the early-flowering forsythia.
Which plants can be propagated in February?
Since almost all garden plants are still in hibernation in February, propagation is not yet possible and should therefore be postponed until later in the growing season.
