Your February Garden Checklist: Planting, Chores, and Maintenance
It’s time to get your February garden checklist out and start checking it off! While the garden sleeps in most parts of North America, there are many tasks to carry out. Experienced gardener Sarah Jay helps you write your list and cross off each item here.
Contents
Even though it’s still cold here in North Texas, I’m getting my February garden checklist together. I have things to prepare before I can start planting in the ground again, and lots of plans to make for the upcoming spring season. Chances are you do too!
My tools need some tending to as my spring garden lifts off. I have seeds to sow outdoors ahead of my last frost that give them the cold stratification they need to break dormancy. My beds need a refresh, too. There’s much to be done before we’re back in the temperate time of year. And there are plenty of seeds to start, too!
As you read through this, think of the things you need to take care of and write them down. It will feel so good to cross them off as you accomplish each task, and you’ll be motivated to enter the full swing of spring with all of this already done.
The Container Collection Seed Bundle
The Container Collection Seed Bundle
Seed Starting
While you wait for the garden to wake up, start some seeds. In very cold zones, now is a good time for getting your station set up in a protected area. Start some herbs that take a while to germinate, or wait a month to get your tomatoes and peppers started.
In other areas, starting alliums and cold-weather crops is the way to go. For all frosty places, directly sow wildflower seeds that require cold stratification. February is a great month for getting those last cold strat seeds in to give them the moist and cold conditions they need to germinate.
Cleaning and Sharpening Tools
Item two on your February garden checklist is to get your tools in order. Even when the ground isn’t workable, make sure you have a clean and sharpened shovel ready for when it is. Remove any rust from pruners and trowels, and get all your blades in tip-top shape. If you are pruning fruit trees, ensure you have a clean, sharp tool at hand.
Sterilize your tools to prevent the spread of diseases around your garden. Especially for those that you used to prune diseased plants, use a cloth with 90% isopropyl alcohol to eliminate any built-up bacteria, fungus, or oomycetes.
In the same vein, give electric garden tools a good look and make any repairs now so they’re ready for the upcoming season. Check all the wheels on your wheelbarrows and garden carts, and inflate any that have flattened in storage while not in use. Sterilize any extra planters you have on hand, and get rid of those that won’t be useful this year.
Prepping Garden Beds
In areas where the soil is warming, it’s a great time to do light tilling and amendment. For more organic matter, add compost and leaf mold. For moisture retention, compost, peat moss, and coco coir do the trick. Add agricultural grit or perlite to soils that need better drainage. For sandy soils, compost helps with moisture and nutrient retention.
If this is your very first February garden checklist, you might be building your beds and filling them. As long as the ground isn’t frozen, this month is great for checking that item off your list. If it’s still too cold to work the soil, you can build your beds and wait to fill them when it warms up.
In areas where it’s very cold, top established beds with compost and mulch, but wait to do any digging and tilling. Use an organic mulch, preferably one from around your yard. Use leaves, pine needles, wood chips, or bark chips.
Winter Sowing
As winter conditions continue, repurpose old milk jugs and plastic water bottles to make mini greenhouses where you can sprout cold-loving plants. This is a great way to get a head start on your spring garden and expose seeds to conditions that help them break dormancy.
While winter sowing is really meant to be carried out in areas with snow and ice, it can be done in places that freeze, too. Stick your containers in a sunny spot to give them the light they need to thrive. If you live in a dry area, check your containers regularly and water them as needed.
Winter sowing is perfect for wildflower seeds, cool-season crops, and even cool-weather flowers that aren’t native. Avoid planting any seeds prone to rotting or those that are sensitive to root disturbance.
Irrigation Checks
While you’re getting your tools ready for the spring, add this to your February garden checklist: check your irrigation system. Whether it’s just one hose, several soaker hoses, or a full drip system, getting everything in order before your entire garden is planted out is a good idea.
Here in North Texas, summers are hot, and a failed drip emitter or broken hose can mean death for more sensitive plants in the intense heat. You don’t want this to happen! This task is most important in dry, hot areas.
If you don’t have an irrigation system set up, February is a good time to get started. Take a look at irrigation kits and map them out while you wait for the soil to warm up enough for workability.
Key Takeaways
The February garden checklist can certainly have more items than we present here, but we think these are essential tasks to take care of this month. Keep these in mind as you get ready for spring:
- Start seeds indoors or under cover for the spring season.
- Clean and sharpen all your tools. Sterile tools prevent the spread of diseases. Sharp ones make working in the garden easier.
- Prep your garden beds and build new ones. In cold areas, wait until it’s warmer to do any tilling and digging.
- Winter sow new seeds in regions with a wet, cold winter still at hand.
- Check your existing irrigation implements and set up any new irrigation systems you need for the hot summers ahead.
