February in the garden

February in the garden can really play with your emotions. One minute early daffodils and a sunny day have you believing spring is creeping in, the next wild winds and rain that soaks the bare earth have you retreating indoors with only last summers photos for company. February is however a great month for getting your garden sorted for the year ahead – I like to use indoor days to organise my seeds and plan new spaces and sunny days for tackling areas that need some TLC. Now my garden is becoming more established I can start to take you through my plans month by month, rather than waiting for a whole year before I share if an experiment has worked or not. Here’s what’s happening in February.

Sorting seeds

Following my 2019 garden review, I gathered all the seeds I’d been buying and sorted them by sowing month. This is a really easy way to plan ahead and not lose yourself when things get busy. I simply write each month on a post-it and pile each seed packet on top according to the first month the seeds can be sown. I then bundle each month up and slowly (this is key) work my way through the packets month by month. This is a great way to spot any gaps you might have but also see replications.

The veg patch

Our veg patch is really Dan’s area but he hasn’t had the time to do anything with it so I’m stepping in. This area has become a bit of a dumping ground and is over run with a mass of wild onion that I have begun to dig out. It’s probably only a days work to get it all fixed but trying to do during family time is always my biggest obstacle. Once it’s cleared I want to add a bench under the lilac tree and then use the four empty bins to create more raised beds for veg or small fruit trees.

Seed sowing

When time and weather aligns, I’ve been out in the greenhouse planting seeds. sweet peas have been my main focus as I missed a pre Christmas sowing (I’ve planted Ballerina, Valerie Harrod, Ethel Grace, High Scent and last years homegrown seeds). I have also done a second batch of Larkspur and Ammi and potted up some of my autumn seedings (I’ve lost the labels and can’t remember whats what!). Still to plant are poppies in the greenhouse and grasses which i’ll start on the window sill in the kitchen.

At this time of year it’s more important than ever to get outside whenever time allows. Nothing makes me feel more grounded than time spent in the magic of nature. Daunting as starting a garden may be now is the perfect time to begin, I can’t tell you how good it feels when your garden starts to bloom, I want everyone to experience that giddy excitement of new shoots and buds about to burst open.