February
on the Allotment
Winter
And we're off and running! The veg gardener’s year is truly alive and kicking, or it certainly should be. Hope all those January ‘to do’ jobs are complete? If not, make them the priority now. This really is your last chance to prepare before all hell breaks loose in the coming months.
It’s a month with all types of weather from snow, heavy rain, and hard frosts, to warm sunny days with blue skies. But it is definitely the month when the plot starts to take shape. Planning should be finished and the bulk of the seeds ordered and delivered. Be on standby...
The early seed sowing should be well underway, and the window sill should be filling up with germinating seeds requiring indoor protection. Seed potatoes can be laid out to chit and will soon be starting to sprout.
Don’t be tempted, however, to sow the entire contents of your seedbox. As eager as you are to get going, sometimes it is far better to wait for improved weather conditions. If sowing outdoors this month, try and protect sowings with either cloches or fleece. Feel free to put these in place before they are needed as it will help warm the soil at this time of year.
February is an ideal month to plant or sow alliums – garlic, onion and shallot seed or sets. It’s also a perfect time to sow broad beans and early varieties of peas.
Early carrot types can be sown in February, but the protection of cloches or fleece this month is essential as carrots definitely will struggle to germinate in cold wet soil. If unsure, delay until late March or sow in containers inside the greenhouse or polytunnel.
