Gardening Tips For February

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Gardening Tips For February

Just because the majority of perennials and trees are dormant this month doesn't mean you need to ignore your garden. Dormancy actually helps with some of the opportunities for projects in February. Much can be done to enhance your garden during the growing season if preparations are made now. Read on to find out more gardening tips for winter.

Fix Your Foundation

Now is the time when the underlying structure of the garden is most apparent. Evaluate your garden for areas where architectural elements such as arbors or trellises are needed. Deciduous shrubs and trees should be inspected and pruned at this time. Dormant garden shrubs may also be removed or transplanted if the ground is not frozen. Look for winter color in the garden and ways to enhance it with different colors and textures of evergreens.

Vegetable Gardening Preparation

New vegetable and flower garden beds can be dug and compost or peat moss added to the soil in preparation for seeds and seedlings in spring. At the same time, areas for new lawn can be prepared. If you have any spring-flowering bulbs that you didn't have time to plant in late fall, go ahead and plant them now. They'll come up just fine when the weather turns warm.

Check the summer flowering bulbs you lifted and stored in the fall for excess moisture and mold.

Organize Your Garden Layout

Heavy labor projects in and around your garden can also be accomplished now while the weather is cooler. Large winter garden jobs requiring a specialty tool like a Husqvarna Chainsaw, soil tiller, wood chipper or shredder should be undertaken before spring green-up. Look for winter damage to trees caused by the weight of ice and snow. Broken branches with uneven wounds should be sawn off cleanly with a tool like our Ames Tree Trimmer to protect the tree from disease and garden pest control.

Composting

Don't neglect the compost pile! Keep adding kitchen scraps and fallen leaves. If the ground is not frozen, hardier plants like trees, shrubs and vine fruits can be planted if container grown or burlapped.

Garden Maintenance

Cut down ornamental grasses (tip: use a Grass Hook, Grass Whip or Weed Scythe to make things a bit easier), before the wind strews the loose straw all over the yard, or worse, the neighbor's yard.
Cut seed potatoes into pieces with at least two eyes each. Allow them to air dry for a bit to seal the cut surfaces, and let the eyes sprout before planting. Cold hardy vegetables can be planted now if covered with a plastic translucent row cover.

Fertilize Your Fruit Garden

February is a great time to fertilize your fruit trees & vegetables before their spring bloom. Sharpen, clean and oil all of your hand tools so they'll be ready for the busy planting season.

Force endive, chickory and rhubarb. Scrape old bark from grape vines and tip prune summer fruiting blackberries and raspberries.

You can also give us a call or simply come in to your local Southern States store to speak to one of our experts about local gardening advice.