Below you will find a list of February chores that will get your heart racing for spring. No matter the weather, these things will help ensure that you have a successful growing season.
- Give all your garden tools a good cleaning and sharpening
- Plant fruit trees now, and prune your current fruit trees. Find a pruning guide here.
- Be sure to finalize all of your seed orders
- Plant peas, potatoes, and parsley (seed) directly into the ground. The few weeks of cold temperatures will help them to germinate successfully.
- Clean up perennial beds and any leaves that are still lying around.
- Look around your yard. Now is the time to move any plants that you have been thinking of moving or add new ones. Cut shrubs back before you move them.
- Cut back liriope (monkey grass) toward the end of the month before it shoots out new growth. Prune evergreen shrubs after the middle of February.
- Service your lawn mower. Oil – Belts – blades – filters.
- Plant new berry bushes, and prune existing berry bushes and summer flowering shrubs. You want to do this while they are dormant. Do not do it after they begin to come out of dormancy. Read more about pruning here.
- On nice days, it is good practice to turn your compost pile. If you don’t have a compost pile, it is a great time to start one.
- If you have the space, add an extra row to your garden space to give your surplus to the less fortunate in your community.
- If your Valentine has a green thumb or at least an affection for plant life, consider getting them a plant or a gift certificate for garden supplies.
- Mow winter crops and turn them under if the soil is dry enough to cultivate.
- Spread compost over the beds you will plant next month.
- Plant bare-root trees and container shrubs and trees.
- Put out fresh mulch or pine needles around trees and shrubs.
This isn’t an all-inclusive, comprehensive list of course. However, it is enough to keep you busy till next month when a whole new list begins. It also hits the most important points that will get you off to a good start. So let’s get this done and get ready for spring! I’m excited, aren’t you?
Happy Gardening!
