What to do in February at the vegetable patch? (Sowing and plantations)

In February, it was the start of the end of winter and the vegetable garden begins to find colors. This is a little special month, since climatic conditions vary from one region to another. It is therefore time to decide whether to opt for indoor sowing (fresh regions), sowing under shelters (in the south) or if it is better to wait until next month (especially with regard to tomatoes ).

Organize around a specific calendar with permapots

In short, there is a whole work battery to be done in February at the vegetable patch, in particular with regard to sowing, plantations, harvests and maintenance tasks. Now is the time to activate and program activities according to the climate. In this regard, Permapotes can allow you to print or Download a personalized calendar depending on the vegetables you want to grow and climate from your region.

Sowing in February at the vegetable patch

Since it is generally cold in February, do not hesitate to postpone your sowing next month if the temperatures are too low, especially in the regions located in the north of France. Let's not put the cart in front of the oxen as they say in my region! Better to wait a bit than seeing your sowing stretching for lack of light or suffering for lack of warmth.

Sowing under shelter for spring vegetables

Sowing under shelter are sowing performed outdoors, with forcing sails, forcing tunnels or in greenhouse. During this period, and depending on the regions (remember to look at the calendar), so you can sow covered, but not heated:

• Spring spinach varieties;
• Happy varieties of carrots (often short or half long) which will be harvested from April;
• Varieties of short -day radish (fast growing) which will be harvested in March;
• Varieties to force turnips: the turnip of Milan is the best known and his harvest must be done in April to prevent him from becoming less good;
• Smooth grain peas, much more resistant to cold than those with wrinkled grains that require more heat to develop;
• Lettues or summer leeks in nursery. Sowed in the ground, in boxes or pots, you can transplant them to their final location later. Above all, pay attention to slugs.

Also remember to choose a place well exposed to the sun and out of the winds to accumulate a maximum of heat. Remember, there is no point in hurrying if you live in a colder region. You can also wait until March to start these sowing.

Indoor sowing for summer vegetables

In February, you can start sowing certain summer vegetables that you will place inside, out of frost. These include eggplant, peppers, peppers and tomatoes if you plan to cultivate them in a greenhouse later. Peppers and sown peppers can be planted in May. As for sown tomatoes, they will be planted in greenhouse in April.

For these few vegetables, you may need a lamp and a heating mini-greenhouse to compensate for the insufficient heat and natural light during this period. Indeed, these vegetables will need a temperature of +/- 20 ° C to germinate and develop properly. If you do not have the aforementioned equipment and a greenhouse to cultivate them, the ideal is to wait until March to embark on summer cultures.

Plantations in February at the vegetable patch

 In February, few vegetables can be planted outdoors but some exceptions exist. February is indeed adapted to alliards bulbs which are very resistant to cold. However, you should plant them on raised boards or a mound because they do not support the soils that are too wet. These are the shallots, of pink garlic (spring garlic) and conservation onion bulbs. Regarding these, you can plant them directly or in a nursery. You can also plant asparagus, rhubarb, fruit shrubs with bare roots and Jerusalem artichokes.

In order to ensure the biodiversity of your vegetable garden and attract certain so -called auxiliaries in permaculture, you can sow and even plant certain flowers such as nasturtium, but also aromatics like mint and chives in a soil rich and fresh.

February harvests

The month of February is not only conducive to the first sowing and plantations of the year. Now is the time to make a few harvests if you had already given a vegetable garden last year. These are mostly vegetables such as blonde chicory, carrots, lamb's lettuce (green from Cambrai and shell of Louviers), winter leeks, radishes (Lavergne and Gaudry), rutabagas, parsnips, lettuces , Brussels cabbage, winter cabbage, spinach, etc.