February Gardening To-Do List
This is a bit late but there is still plenty of time to undertake these tasks. So, give your green thumb a workout this month to get in shape for the main event when spring arrives. There’s plenty to do to prep your garden, indoors and out.
Protect Plants From Critters
Between snows, check prized landscape plants. Use pieces of bird netting to cover vulnerable plants that have visible leaves, like roses. Deer and rabbits usually leave these plants alone, except when they’re the only live leaves in the winter garden. Clean up roses and other flowering shrubs while you’re in the garden, cutting back old leaves. This allows blooms to shine.
Spray Dormant Oil
While woody plants are dormant, apply a horticultural oil spray. This treatment helps kill eggs, disease spores and insects that are overwintering on plants, including mites, aphids and scale. Follow label directions carefully. Most dormant oil sprays specify spraying when temperatures are above 40 degrees F and the next eight hours stay above freezing and lack precipitation. Good candidates for dormant oil sprays include fruit trees, ornamental trees, roses and other pest-plagued shrubs.
Note: this really important for fruit trees such as apple, peach and apricot.
Stop Spring Weeds
Get a jump on spring weeds by applying a pre-emergent herbicide like Preen on planting areas. This type of herbicide kills plants by interfering with seed germination. It stops weed seeds from germinating, but won’t impact established perennial weeds like dandelion, clover or thistle. Follow instructions carefully; many of these herbicides need to be watered after application. Accomplish that by applying it just before a spring rain (not a downpour, which will wash the product away).
Note: This should be done twice each year – now and then again in April or early May.
Stock Bird Feeders
Keep bird feeders filled, especially suet feeders that tend to see heavy action at this point in winter. Clean bird feeders every two weeks with a solution of 9 parts water to 1 part bleach. Clean and fill birdbaths as needed.
Order Seeds
If you haven’t already, get your seed order in, especially for spring crops like radishes, peas and lettuce. Everyone else has the same idea and there’s only so much seed to go around, so it’s best to be an early bird. Go ahead and order for summer and fall crops, too. Use this slow time to think about your garden goals and make a plan.
Insulate Roses
When moving snow, use the white stuff to your advantage, placing it where it can help insulate plants like roses or perennials. Place snow carefully around the base of roses, taking care not to break canes under the weight. Make sure you’re adding salt-free shovels full of snow around the plants. Salt-laden snow can do just the opposite, harming plants.
Prune Flowering Shrubs
Late winter is the time to tackle pruning many flowering shrubs, including roses, summersweet (Clethra), caryopteris, butterfly bush and chaste tree (Vitex). Remove any dead or damaged branches, and thin interior stems to open up the center of the shrub to airflow. This helps to reduce disease. Wait to prune spring flowering shrubs until after they bloom. In more northern regions, wait until next month to prune.
Tackle Weeds
Not all weeds take a break during the winter. Many sprout in fall, then grow and set seed in the colder months. Deadnettle, chickweed and bittercress are a few weeds that thrive in chilly temps. When manually digging out weeds, dig deep and get all roots and runners. Take care not to shake or disturb the weed too much; you may inadvertently spread more seed. If you opt to use all-natural or chemical herbicides, research to find what type works best for the weed you have. Some gardeners leave a few clumps of Oxalis and clover as a cool-weather flowering plant for early foraging bees.
Keep Deer Away
Apply deer repellents to landscape plants, especially if browsing is occurring. If you’re having problems with rabbits chewing shrubs, choose a repellent spray that also keeps bunnies at bay. Remember to spray fruit buds and any other deer favorites in your yard. You might improve your success by rotating anti-deer sprays throughout the growing season. Deer Defeat, Plantskydd and Bobbex are all good.
Inventory Garden Gear
Before gardening season bears down like a freight train, consider what tasks you’ll be doing and what kind of equipment you need. Check out the kit you have on hand: tools, sprayers, stakes, pots, soil, pest treatments, watering wands and whatever else you might use. Shop before the spring rush to get what you need and have it on hand. If you keep a garden journal, add a page for gear, where you can jot down things that need replaced as they break or wear out.
Build a Cold Frame
Get an early start on spring planting or extend your gardening season with this DIY cold frame. A type of “mini-greenhouse,” a cold frame built with a glass or plastic lid allows plants access to sunlight. It also traps heat to prevent cold weather from putting an early end to your winter-hardy crops, and it comes in handy when it’s time to harden off spring seedlings. Follow these simple steps to construct a cold frame using just a few tools, lumber and a reclaimed window frame.
Order Potatoes Now
Start searching now to find a source of purple and other unusual potatoes for planting in spring. The most fun ones typically sell out early. For purple spuds, consider heirloom ‘Purple Majesty’ or ‘Adirondack Blue.’ ‘Masquerade’ boasts bicolor beauty, having yellow skin with purple blotches. ‘Desiree’ pairs rosy-red skin with yellow flesh. Research to find the right tater varieties to fit your growing conditions, kitchen use and storage needs.
Plan Your Vegetable Garden
It’s not too early to start thinking about your vegetable and herb garden plan for spring. Make sure to rotate vegetable plant families to protect them from diseases and pests, and to help the soil’s fertility. Draw out your plans and keep them in a notebook. Once you have three or four years of plans in hand, you can simply repeat them in succession in future years.
