| February tasks |  | This week, near where we live (just south of London) we've seen snowdrops, aconites and early daffodils flowering and long yellow hazel catkins dancing in the breeze. Short as this warm spell may be, it makes you realise spring isn't too far away now, so this is a good time to get your plants moving ready for an early start to the season. |
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| Seed potatoes
If you're think of growing potatoes now's the time to buy quality seed potatoes. These have been specially grown so they are disease free and will produce heavy crops.
There are many different varieties of potato but they are generally divided into types to reflect when they will be ready to harvest. Salad potatoes have very fine skins and are ideal for growing in large containers for early harvesting, usually July to September. First earlies which are also often refered to in the shops as "new" potatoes crop at a similar time and are followed by second earlies and then main crop.
Seed potatoes should be 'chitted', or encouraged to shoot before planting, by being placed in an egg tray in a warm, light place.
Young plants
Whether you have raised your own or bought them in, young plants can be brought into steady growth now by the addition of extra heat. With plants like Fuchsias, you may be able to get a batch of cuttings from the new shoots, once they are long enough, to increase your stock.
Plug plants
This is the term for young plants that have been grown in cells, so that they arrive with just a plug of compost for the roots. This is a very common way of sending plants by post, as they can be packaged safely and easily. If your mail order plants arrive like this, then open the packaging straight away to let light and air in and, if necessary, give the plants a light watering (allowing any surplus to drain away). As soon as you can, pot them up individually and stand them in a well-lit spot away from draughts. They usually start to grow very quickly.
In the garden
If you intend to put plants outside, whether they are vegetables or flowering plants, you can warm the soil up in readiness to give them a good start by laying black polythene over the soil and pegging it down. The warmth of the sun will be trapped beneath and the soil will be several degrees warmer. Once the plants are in place, a cloche over the top will offer enough protection to keep the plant growing quickly. |
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| This is the month when everything begins to swing into action. By the end of February, many of this year's plants should already be growing.
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| Borders | | | • | Individual cloches can be used to protect vulnerable plants or to warm the soil before planting.
Slugs love Hellebore flowers, so be ready to apply some means of control. | | • | Keep supporting bulb stems with canes if necessary and remove the dead flower heads to stop them wasting energy by producing seed. | | • | Prune new shoots of wisteria back to 3 buds to encourage the production of flower-bearing spurs. |
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| Seedlings and young plants | | | • | Check for grey mould, which will spread right through seedlings if not stopped. Uncover larger seedlings regularly to maintain good air-flow. | | • | New plants will be tender, so keep fleece to hand for cold nights. | | • | Unpack plug plants as soon as they arrive and keep them warm (and watered). Pot them individually or transplant them into the garden when the conditions are suitable. |
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| Containers | | | • | As winter containers finish flowering, replant for spring with fresh primroses, polyanthus or pansies and flowering bulbs for instant colour. | | • | Protect your container plants from frost with bubble wrap or fleece. Don't leave plastic wrapping around the leaves though - it causes condensation that will freeze the leaves to the plastic and burn them. | | • | Keep patio containers on pot feet (or bricks) to prevent water-logging. If a pot becomes too wet, lie it on its side for a day to drain. |
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| Lawns | | | • | Keep off the lawn in frosty weather to avoid leaving burned footprints (as you damage the frozen cells). | | • | In milder weather, continue to repair damaged edges around borders by lifting a square of turf and rotating it. Sow seed in the gap that is left. Work from a board to save causing further damage, especially if it's wet. | | • | In really wet weather, push a fork into the lawn to the full depth of the tines to relieve compaction and poor drainage. On heavy soils, fill the holes with a mixture of sharp sand and loam, brushed in with a stiff broom. |
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| Fruit | | | • | Spray with a winter tree wash to kill hibernating insects and their eggs. | | • | Place cloches over strawberries planted last summer to encourage earlier cropping. |
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| The vegetable garden | | | • | Force rhubarb by placing a large bucket (or dustbin) over the crown to encourage tasty, fresh, pink stalks. Check regularly for slug damage. | | • | Sow seeds of broad beans, bulb onions, celeriac, early peas and spinach under cover, ready for planting out next month. | | • | Sow kohl rabi and spring onions directly into drills outdoors in the vegetable garden. | | • | Seed potatoes should be 'chitted', or encouraged to shoot before planting, by being placed in an egg tray in a warm, light place. | | • | Plant out onion sets and shallots in rows and it is still not too late to plant garlic outdoors. | | • | If the weather gets colder, net vegetables, particularly cabbages and cauliflowers to deter marauding pigeons. |
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| The greenhouse, polytunnel and conservatory | | | • | If you're heating your greenhouse, watch for the odd sharp frost that can affect even protected plants. | | • | Look for any insects that have managed to survive and use a control method. | | • | Biological controls are ideal for the conservatory, where they can work all year round in the warmth. |
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| Ponds | | | • | Float a ball or piece of wood on the surface to reduce the chance of the water freezing over completely if you have fish. | | • | If the water does freeze completely, hold a pan of hot water on the surface until the base has melted a hole through the ice. |
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| General tasks | | | • | Clean patios and decking with a path and patio cleaner to remove moss and algae. | | • | Trim hedges now - it's a little early, but it is better than waiting and frightening the nesting birds. |
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