IN THE GARDEN WITH SARA CUSHING - FEBRUARY
February means I get to do one of my favourite things in the world...sowing seeds! I spent January sourcing seeds at bargain prices (as a result of this, I inadvertently overordered and have now found myself with over fifty Sungold tomato seeds...) and I’ve been waiting impatiently to crack on with getting these into compost. The greenhouse has been cleared out in readiness for all the seed trays and though it is insulated, i’m hoping we don’t get too much of a cold snap this month, which will impede germination. Unless you have access to a heated propagator or greenhouse, it may be worth waiting until temperatures are slightly higher before sowing as most seeds require minimum temperatures of 16⁰C to germinate. Equally a kitchen windowsill can work as well, unless as we do, you have cats that eat all green things.
I have been loving finding new varieties. ‘Suncherry’ is an improvement on the ever-popular ‘Sungold’, producing a red, rather than orange skin, I’ve found aubergine and cucumber that are perfect for outdoor growing, and the flower colours that are coming through now are so interesting! Sweet pea ‘King Size Navy Blue’ is particularly dramatic (I’ll be offsetting this with a white sweet pea) and antirrhinum ‘Lipstick Silver’ is a pretty variety which caught my eye. I found an unusual nasturtium as well during my spending spree. ‘Minor Phoenix’ has beautiful split, jagged petals and come in a range of fiery colours. Now to find spaces to put these...
In the Borders
Providing it is a dry day, there is a massive amount of pruning that can be done this month. Winter-flowering shrubs such as mahonia and winter jasmine can be trimmed after flowering, as can buddleia. Wisteria side shoots can be taken back to three buds from the base stem to encourage flowering in Spring and summer flowering clematis to 30cm from the base. Snowdrops can be lifted and split after flowering, to replant in other areas. These are best done while the leaves are still green. Lilies, dahlia and canna tubers can be planted, and any overwintering dahlia can be brought into light conditions. These still need to be kept protected until the risk of frost has passed. Towards the end of the month, top dressings or fertilisers can be applied to give your plants a good start for the growing season!
In the Veg Patch
If you love a new potato, now is the time to start chitting! I’ve been leaning towards growing in potato bags over the last couple of years, especially if space is limited. It also means that they are contained more effectively and you don’t find forgotten potatoes turning up in the middle of your beans. ‘Swift’ and ‘Foremost’ are generally good croppers, with a lovely waxy texture, and as I picked up 4kgs of ‘Pink Fir Apples’, I’m hoping to get a reasonable amount of these. Some seeds can be sown under cover, tomatoes, chillies and peppers as can aubergine, broad beans and peas. Radish, leeks, onion, kale and beetroot can also be started in modular cell trays and by using this method rather than direct sowing into the ground, and by bringing them on to be larger plants, they can be more resistant to damage from garden pests. Do keep an eye out for frosts and make sure that any tender seedlings are protected with horticultural fleece or even a layer of newspaper. It does pay not to be too impatient to get everything started though. Light levels increase more towards the middle of the month which helps prevent leggy, spindly seedlings and as I’ve been busting to get these sown since I bought them, a couple more weeks won’t hurt!
Happy gardening!