February Gardening Calendar
at Garden-Helper.com
Garden chores are at their lowest as mentioned in last months' calendar and podcast, but in some areas of the country you may be blessed with early spring arrivals such as daffodils, snowdrops or crocus flowers.
Gardening chores in February may be limited depending on your climate, but there are still opportunities to plan your garden and get a start for the upcoming season. If you are fortunate to live in a warmer zone then February can very well be kicking off your gardening season!
Continuing from January your houseplants likely have taken center stage of your attentions. Catalogs arriving in the mail in January and this month are probably getting your creative juices flowing for planning the garden. Spring will be here soon and hopefully those ideas will bear as much fruit as the garden itself!
This calendar is available as a Gardening Podcast to take with you on your iPod or other mp3 player while you are perusing the catalogs for next Spring planting. All Garden-Helper podcasts are available both through the iTunes music store and at Yahoo! podcasts.
Other Calendar Months Coming Soon
January
February
March
April
May
June
October
November
December
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February Gardening Chores
House Plants
Hyacinth, Lily of the valley and Paper white Narcissus can all be forced into bloom indoors this month.
Give your house plants extra humidity by grouping plants together. The indoor climate during the winter tends to be dryer as we heat our homes. Check your houseplants for insects, mites and other problems and treat as needed to keep them healthy into the new growing cycle. Withhold fertilization until spring arrives.
Pruning
February is a great month to prune fruit trees like apples, pears and cherries. If you have peach and nectarines catch these just prior to blooming. Grapes, raspberries and blackberries can also stand for pruning this month.
Fertilizing
From the middle until the end of February is a good time to fertilize trees, shrubs and evergreens. For evergreens like junipers, conifers, rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias use a rhododendron type fertilizer. An all-purpose fertilizer can be applied to feed fruit and flowering trees, plus other deciduous trees and shrubs.
Lawn Care in February
February lawn care? For many parts of the country this is simply a bizzare combination of words. The main thing to consider in February as it was for January is to keep off frozen grass to avoid damaging the lawn. It is also a good month to tune up and repair lawn equipment in preparation for Spring.
Vegetables and Fruits
While considering your garden for the upcoming year take the time to draw layouts of how you expect to arrange your plantings. Review notes about your garden paying attention to success and failure and see if there are gems of information that can be helpful in your new plan.
If you have not already done so now is the time to order seeds for the coming year.
Additionally if you intend to add new fruit tress February is also a good time to purchase these. Consider Nature Hills Nursery for tree purchases as they have over 150 species to choose from.
If a soil test has not been done in recent years then
you can purchase a soil
test kit
Start broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage transplants this month if your soil is workable.
Weather permitting, February is the month to begin tilling or spading the soil. Do not undertake this project until the soil is dry enough to work. Compost, well rotted manure or other organic matter are excellent additives to mix into vegetable garden soil as you prepare it for planting. This is also the time to turn under your cover crops if you have any.
Perennial vegetable such as rhubarb, asparagus, horseradish and artichokes can be planted this month.
Flowers
Start seeds for transplanting in the spring. A list of those to start is available on the February Planting Guide.
Odd and Ends
Snow and cold weather create difficult conditions for many small animals and birds. Consider adding a birdfeeder to your garden if you don't already have one. For great advice on responsibly feeding wild birds check out our article on Feeding Wild Birds in the Winter. You needn't be a bird enthusiast to get a thrill from watching as your feeding stations help these creatures through the winter.
Prepare! Start planning your garden for next year. Review notes you have taken from this year and start the daydreaming with your gardening catalogs.
Relax with good books about gardening or on a good gardening website. One comes to mind.