Windowsill sowing time

Statistically, February was once the coldest month of the year but more recently, reports have shown, it is just as cold, or warm, as January. But the sun gets stronger and stronger and when February is over, spring comes quickly. Seed catalogues have already turned up and it is not too early either because if you wish to do your own gardening and sow your own seeds to plant out, most of them need a long time to develop before they can be planted out in the garden.

You can start in the window sill, preferably in a propagator. The heated models are absolutely ideal. You can buy one off the shelf or you can make one for yourself with heat and light. Sowing your own summer flowers does mean a bit of work but it saves on the budget. In addition to summer flowers, you can sow strawberries, rosemary, celery, artichokes, asparagus and pepper fruit in February for subsequent planting.

Potatoes on the balcony
If you have itchy fingers and want to be one of the first to harvest your potatoes, you can chit an early variety from the middle of the month. You should also start to preheat the soil. On a warm day after some time without frost, put a layer of compost on the bed you have earmarked for your early potatoes. Cover with clear plastic. Black plastic catches the heat and radiates it back to the air whereas sun and light can get through clear plastic and into the soil. A layer of plastic without compost also has a certain effect and if you have problems with millipedes or larvae gnawing holes in your potatoes, then avoid putting compost on your potato bed.

In March, plant out the first potatoes and cover with plastic. There will come a point when the first shoots appear. Then lift the plastic to let the air in. Or even better, lay the plastic over hoops you have set over the rows to make a tunnel.
If there is a frost, the plants are protected and if the sharp frost is expected, cover with store or some other insulating material.

Try with a single row. That is manageable
Another little trick is to plant a potato in a pot or a growbag in a polystyrene box or a box with capillary matting and place in bright light so the plants do not get straggly and etiolated. When there is no longer any chance of frost, take the plant out of the pot and set it out directly in the garden. If you have the plants in a growbag, you can do the same or just place the entire bag of plants on top of another bag. Cut a hole in the bottom of the first bag and in the top of the other bag so that the roots of the potato can reach down into a deeper layer. Then the tuber can go on growing underground. This method is especially good for growing potatoes on a balcony or in a small garden with no access to a proper vegetable garden.

A slimmer hedge
For most trees and bushes, pruning is now something that we do all year round and the latest research shows that especially for fruit trees, it is better to prune them in the summer because the wound heals quicker when the tree is growing. On the other hand, the advantage of pruning now is that you do not have to deal with masses of foliage.

It is a good thing to cut back a hedge that has become too thick or too high in February or March. Remember to cut it back to a bit below the height you want so as to make it easier to clip the hedge the following year.
If the hedge is very thick, it is best to make do with cutting it back heavily on one side this year and then do the other side next year.

Try the art of grafting
Grafting fruit trees is not straightforward but neither is it especially difficult when you have learned the right way to cut. Try practicing on all sorts of sawn off branches before proceeding to the more serious operation. So if you do want to experiment on grafting fruit trees, it is now that you need to make cuttings for grafting. It is a challenging hobby with the advantage that you can have several different kinds of fruit on the same tree. The ideal cutting for grafting is a powerful summer shoot as thick as a pencil. Keep the cuttings cold and damp, preferably buried in the soil so they are fresh and springy when used at the end of April, when there will be a step by step explanation of how to graft.

Plants die of sunstroke
In February, the combination of frost and sun can be a sign of doom for many perennials. You can protect them with spruce cuttings. You can see damage from the sun later as brown spots on leaves. This is due to them having dried out as a result of the sunshine and the fact that when it is frosty, plants cannot suck up enough water to replace evaporation.

Heat in the greenhouse
The temperature may be somewhat higher inside the greenhouse than outside and since better times are coming, plants also start to awaken. Be especially careful to make sure the plants get a little water.
If you want to have early rhubarb, then dig up a clump from the garden and bring it into the house.