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February Gardening Tips
- Prune winter flowering shrubs that have finished flowering
- Prune off old stems of herbaceous perennials
- Start Dahlia tubers into growth
- Divide and plant snowdrops
- Re-pot or topdress shrubs in containers
- Prepare seedbeds for vegetables
- Plant shallots out in well prepared soil
- Sow the following crops in pots or trays in the greenhouse, ready to transplant;
Brussels sprouts, spring cabbage, cauliflower, onions, leeks, lettuce and salad leaves.
For those of you keen to get out in to the garden for your first serious bit of work February is a good month to start preparing vegetable garden for the years anticipated crops.
Soil that has been covered with polythene for a while should be dry enough to start preparing ready for sowing next month.
Rake the soil until it is level removing any large stones, apply an organic fertiliser about 2 weeks before sowing, and the nutrients will be available for germinating plants.
If you cover the prepared soil with polythene or cloches it will keep off the worst of the winter rain and snow, as well as warming up the soil enabling earlier sowing and planting outdoors. By using cloches it is possible to harvest crops 3 weeks earlier than expected.
Add lime to any beds where you are growing sprouts, cabbages or cauliflowers as these all like alkaline soil. Lime should be added at least two months before planting, so do it now and the beds will be ready for you to transplant your seedlings.
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