Andrew Tokely's February Gardening Tips
07 February 2025The nights are pulling out and the days gradually getting longer , this means February can be a busy month for seed sowing if you have a heated greenhouse or a warm windowsill and some itchy fingers to get started.
1. If you have your heated propagator going it is wise to keep it as in full as possible, so this month I will be sowing some more Half-Hardy Annuals for my summer bedding display. This month I will be sowing Antirrhinums, Asters, Salpiglossis, Verbena, Stocks, Mesembryanthemum and two of my favourite summer bedding plants Gazania and Rudbeckia. When sowing remember that Asters, Gazania, Verbena and Rudbeckia can all be sown on the surface of moist seed sowing compost (Why not try Kings Seeds peat Free seed sowing Compost), then the seeds should only be lightly covered with fine grade vermiculite, both are available in our mail order catalogue or on our website. However, the Antirrhinums, Stocks, Salpiglossis and Mesembryanthemum are all seeds that need light to germinate, so they are best sown on the surface of the compost and given no covering at all. If you haven’t got a propagator, you can still sow seeds on a warm windowsill indoors but germination may take a little longer. Always use a good quality seed sowing compost and water only with tap water.
2. One of my wife’s favourite flowers are Begonias, so I always make sure I grow plenty of these in the garden. One way of growing them is from Begonia corms. In February or March are the ideal times of year for starting Begonia corms back into growth. If like me, you kept your Begonia corms from last year, and stored them in a frost-free place over winter, you can now bring them out of hibernation. If you didn’t store any from last year all is not lost, as there are plenty of quality corms available for sale by mail order on our website. Starting corms back into growth is easily done; all you need to do is place them into seed trays of multipurpose compost. The corms should be inserted into the trays so the top of each corm is about level with the surface of the compost. Some gardeners have difficulty identifying the top from the bottom of a begonia corm, well an easy way to remember is the top will have a slight concave in it, whereas the bottom will be round with a few hairs coming from it. Once you have placed your corms in trays of compost give them a good watering and place the trays in a heated propagator or on a warm windowsill at a minimum temperature of 21C (70F).
3. If you like sweet peppers added to salads or chilli peppers to spice up your other culinary dishes why not try and grow your own, they are not as difficult as you may think. Peppers need sowing this month in heated propagator, at a minimum temperature of 21C (70F) and will germinate within 14-21 days. They are best sown on the surface of moist seed sowing compost and lightly covered with fine grade vermiculite. Sowing now will ensure you have big enough plants to produce fruit this summer going into autumn. I always grow 3 plants in a patio container, as they look attractive and are very productive when grown on a sunny patio. Some of the New varieties like Chilli Odessey, Pikito and Raging Bull are compact enough to grow and fruit in containers on the patio or smaller pots on the windowsill.
4. If you lifted your Dahlia Tubers from the garden last year and stored them in a frost-free place over winter, this month they can be started back into growth. I always pack the tubers into boxes filled with soil-less multipurpose compost and place them in a warm greenhouse. These tubers will soon start to shoot and in no time, you will have some new shoots that can be taken as cuttings, for this year’s plants. We also have a wide selection of dahlia tubers available on our website.
5. If you still have room in the heated propagator, at this time of year I like to sow a few seeds of hanging basket Tomatoes like Cherry Falls, Micro cherry or Tumbling Tom or New Cherry Blast or Akoya with its unusual black fruits. Sown in a heated propagator set at 21C (70F), the seeds will germinate in 10-14 days. These young plants can then be grown on in the glasshouse until big enough to plant into baskets. The planted baskets can be hung in the greenhouse to grow on until they can safely be hung outside towards the end of May. If you follow my method of growing tomatoes, you could be one of the first to be picking outdoor tomatoes.
6. If you have already ordered some early potatoes (If not there is still time), why not plant a few tubers in pots and place in the greenhouse for an early crop. Ideal varieties are Rocket, or Jazzy. Simply plant a single tuber into a large 25cm(10in) pot of Compost. If you don’t have any large pots, you could try planting 4-5 tubers in a potato planters (available on our website) topping up the planter with compost as they grow. Use a soil less compost in pots and planters, with a little perlite added to the mixture, as this will allow some air into the compost, and will improve the quality of tubers you harvest. Then place your pots or planters in a frost-free greenhouse for an early harvest this spring.
7. Once the frosts have passed and the ground dried out, It won’t be long before lawns will need their first cut. Now is a good time to give lawn mowers a service or take to the local repair shop, so they are ready to use as soon as required.
8. If you have space in the greenhouse border, or a large pot or trough, now is a good time to make an early sowing of Radish and an early Carrot like Adelaide or Amsterdam Forcing. Sow these under glass in shallow drills, and it won’t be long before they are ready for the first pick of the season.
9. Later this month I will be sowing some summer Brassicas under glass in the heated propagator. If you don’t have a propagator, just sow your seeds in pots on a warm windowsill. If you sow some cabbage like ‘Caraflex F1’ and Cauliflower ‘Skipper F1’ now, you will have plants ready for planting out in April. These will give you an early summer meal before there are any caterpillars about that can feed on them. Another Brassica that will benefit from being sown this month is Brussels Sprouts like Trafalgar or Brendan or our New Red Brussels sprout Ruby Crunch. I like to sow this crop early so my plants are large enough for planting out in April. These will then grow throughout the year and make tall stalks full of Sprouts in perfect condition for harvesting this autumn.
10. Many gardeners grow onions from Onion Sets, then often the head of the Kitchen moans the onions are too large as they can’t all be used at once. Why not this year grow bulb onions from seed, producing a smaller onion ideal for single use. This month is ideal to do this, simply fill modular trays with a seed sowing compost and sow 2-3 seeds per cell and cover the seeds with vermiculite. Sown trays can be placed in a heated greenhouse or on a warm windowsill. These seedlings will soon grow into nice plants ready for planting out on the veg Plot from mid-April. You can thin the seedlings in each module if you wish or plant as a small cluster, where you will get a small bunch of bulb onions to harvest in the autumn. Try growing good storing varieties like Bonus, Santero, Fasto, New Tough Ball or the red variety Magnate.
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