What can I sow in February?

Unless you have a greenhouse there is a limit to what you can sow during the cold months of February and even with a greenhouse you need to choose carefully and be prepared for a cold snap.

It’s one thing if you have a heated greenhouse and you are an experienced grower, then you can start growing all manner of things including greenhouse tomatoes, cucumbers, half hardy annuals, bedding plants and more, but most gardeners don’t have this luxury and instead delay their sowing projects until the warmer months of March and April. There is great method in this perceived madness and many use this system to keep heating bills down. It’s one thing sowing things en masse early in the season, but the savvy gardener knows that every seedling of half hardy and tender plant that emerges is going to need some serious TLC to keep it growing in suitable conditions until it is safe to plant outside. What’s more, it’s going to need pricking out, potting on and plenty of space to grow it on. I suppose that’s the bad news.

The good news is that there are some hardy plants that can be sown in February, even in a cold greenhouse. Have a go growing carrots in containers. You can sow some varieties as early as Feb. in a cold greenhouse or under cloches in the garden. The protected greenhouse environment nurtures them into more reliable germination and as they don’t need a pollinator, they are perfectly happy growing on in a corner of the greenhouse. You can also sow them direct into the greenhouse soil and use the some of the space before you need to plant out other greenhouse crops.

Brussels Sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Parsnips, beetroot and turnips can also be sown in February.

Sow tomatoes in late Feb in the cold greenhouse but be prepared to protect them in a cold snap, as they are tender. You are better germinating them in a heated propagator and growing them on a bit. Other greenhouse crops that will spend their entire life in the greenhouse, such as aubergines and cucumbers can also be sown with warmth in Feb. For flowers things like begonias and pelargoniums (commonly called geraniums) can also be sown with warmth in Feb. Don’t forget the half hardy annuals, these can be sown In Feb but many gardeners delay sowing them until March when the weather should be warmer. Antirrhinums, ageratum, lobelia, Nicotiana, stocks and verbena can be sown from February and will produce an earlier flush of flowers.

If you don’t have a heated propagator it’s not a disaster, you can also sow things like sweet peas, peas, broad beans and other hardy annuals that will crop and flower this growing season.

Lettuce and some salad leaves are also good to try, if at first you don’t succeed, try again. Sow a little each week or every fortnight and when the conditions are right you will soon see lots of green leafy growth on the surface of your pots.

Start onion seeds in modules ready to plant out when they have made a good root system.

To know more about greenhouses and what are Cold frames visit http://www.growhouse-greenhouses.co.uk/greenhouses.php