Ah – there’s nothing like a good hard frost to remind you that it’s still winter!
We’re all itching to get out there and start ‘doing’ but remember that there’s nothing to be gained by sowing early – later sowings will always catch up once the weather warms up and you risk losing everything to frost if you’re too eager now. That said, there are jobs that you can be getting on with in Feb. Here’s 10 for starters.
- Chit your Potatoes (put them in a light, frost-free place and watch them sprout)
- Plant some Garlic – in pots if you like
- Force some Rhubarb – the crowns do better if they are at least 3 years old
- Plant some fruit trees – make sure to dig a nice big hole and put plenty of organic matter at the bottom
- Plant a few Onion sets – leave some for early Spring too
- Prepare a seed bed – you’ll be using it a lot quite soon
- Draw up a plan of action
- Continue buying seeds – like we ever stopped?
- In mild areas (like the South West of England) sow Summer Cabbage, Spinach, Radish and Broadbeans – under cover of a cloche naturally
- Dig a bean trench and fill it with rotted compost or kitchen waste
If you have any more suggestions for February jobs, add em to the list.
mtp has done a short slot on ‘How to Create a Plan for Your Patch’ on the latest Alternative Kitchen Garden podcast also available on Podcast Pickle. On a separate note, I’ve actually met the Podcast Pickle (oh yes, he’s completely real) – it’s my little claim to fame.
Before:
After:
Here’s the latest from the Hell Garden. Basically, my beloved little green space has been well and truly JACKED UP by a crazed under-gardener. James, our landscaper is due to arrive tomorrow for a quick inspection. And, assuming all is okay, work on the beds and pathways will start next week. I can’t wait! I’m so sick of scrubbing out dirty little paw prints from my light-beige carpet!
As the pond’s days are numbered we decided it was time for Mr Toad (the frog) to be moved. Little did Mr Toad know it but he was soon to be swimming around with the hoity-toity posh frogs up at the big house. He may just be a lowly garden frog but he was about to make one heck of a social leap. However, when it came to catching Mr Toad we found that he wasn’t alone in his murky and overgrown ditch. He had a friend – who suspiciously enough looked just like Mr Toad. Ah well – we’ll upgrade them both, we thought, and carted them happy away.
Then we found another frog, and another, and then another. In total there were five, identical frogs in our tiny one metre by metre pond. Cramped conditions indeed. Of course we relocated all of them to the posh pond up the road and they all seemed very happy.
But then I realised the gravity of the situation. Let me recap. There were five frogs living in my garden for the whole of last summer and my seedlings STILL managed to get munched away time and time again by the plague of slugs that infested my beds? Unbelievable! And they say that frogs are a gardener’s best friend. More like, lazy little beggers who live rent free in your pond, I’d say!
