Although it may feel like the depths of winter in your garden at the moment, rest assured there is still plenty to be getting on with before spring arrives, and the official ‘growing season’ begins.
Here are some tips to get your garden ready to bloom into life over the coming weeks and months.
1. Go peat free
Last year’s compost will be no good for this year’s sowing as it tends to deteriorate over the cold months. Order new potting compost — preferably peat free and organic — to give your bulbs and seeds the best head start.
2. Sow your vegetables
Hardy crops such as parsnips and broad beans can be sown in February, but first make sure that the soil is warm enough — above 5°C. If the conditions are too cold or wet, the seeds will have a hard time growing.
3. Out with the old
Get rid of all dead or dying leaves from your plants — both indoor and outdoor — to avoid rot. If you have a compost heap, add the offcuts to the pile to decompose and become a great fertiliser in time.
4. Start with sweet peas
Sow sweet peas in deep pots and keep them inside on a sunny windowsill or in the greenhouse, ready for planting out in late May when the risk of frost has diminished.
5. Welcome wildlife
Encourage assorted bird species into your garden with feeders with seeds, nuts and the popular suet balls. Keen bird watchers may want to install a nest box complete with a camera to witness birds rearing their young in the springtime.
6. Prep the beds
Get your vegetable patches ready for sowing — weeding thoroughly and covering with a healthy layer of garden compost.
7. A lovely lawn
After a bout of snowy or frosty weather, try to avoid walking on the lawn too much as this will stunt the growth and potentially lead to disease later on in the year.
We hope we’ve given you some inspiration to get stuck into the garden this February, and don’t worry, spring will be here before you know it!
We’ve previously spoken about the importance of a well-maintained garden for attracting potential buyers to your property, in case you missed the original article, catch up here.
