February

In The Vegetable Garden This February

Build raised beds now, before the growing season gets underway. Raised beds allow you to make an early start in the garden, the soil warms up faster and raised beds drain quickly too, so they’re a great way to deal with clay soils.

Mulch perennial vegetables such as asparagus and artichokes with well-rotted manure or garden compost.

Prepare vegetable seed beds by removing all weeds and forking in plenty of compost. Cover prepared soil with sheets of black plastic to keep it drier and warmer in preparation for spring planting.

Remove yellowing leaves from brassicas, including brussels sprouts, to prevent brassica downy mildew and grey mould from spreading.

Rake lime into acid soils.

Continue controlling against slugs.

Tidy up vegetable plots, removing any remaining plant debris.

Top Tip:

Start chitting early potatoes, stand them on end in a module tray or egg box and place them in bright, cool, frost-free place.

This Month's Key Tips
  • Prepare vegetable seed beds and sow some vegetables under cover.
  • Net fruit and vegetabe crops to keep birds away.
  • Prune winter-flowering shrubs if they have finished flowering.
  • Prune wisteria and hardy evergreen hedges.
  • Cut back deciduous grasses left uncut over winter.