Calendar says February, and there are new chores in the garden. Get inspired by what should happen in the greenhouse and the garden this month.

Greenhouse Maintenance

• If necessary, remove any snow from the greenhouse roof before it starts to melt and becomes too heavy for the profiles.
• Regularly check screws, bolts, and nuts to ensure a stable and firm construction for years to come.

Greenhouse Chores

• Prepare for spring, just around the corner. If you haven't purchased smaller pots for germinating tomatoes, cucumbers, etc., there's still time. If you had plants in the greenhouse during winter, take them out briefly (if not too cold) to clean the greenhouse from unwanted guests.
• Start germinating chili and peppers on the windowsill, as they require a long growth period.
  
  • Snapdragon
  • Pea flower
  • Love-in-a-mist.
  • Mist foil, feverfew.
• Check the sprouting percentage of last season's seeds by placing them on a wet piece of kitchen roll and covering them with film. Let them sit for a couple of days (at room temperature). Dead seeds will rot, while live seeds will swell up, and a radicle will appear as the seed coat splits into two.
• Dig up strawberry plants (if frost-free) from the kitchen garden and place them in the greenhouse for early strawberries in May.
• Check tropical fruit trees stored over winter in the greenhouse for scale insect attacks. Remove any scale insects with a stiff brush.

 

Garden Tips:

• Make birds happy with water and food every day.
• Tap trees and bushes to remove snow, preventing spindly branch growth from breaking.
• Check the lawn: rake thoroughly to remove accumulated withered leaves, dead grass, and moss, allowing light and air between grass plants.
• Go through the lawnmower in spring: empty it of gasoline, clean the spark plug, change the engine oil, and check the air filter. Remove any dried grass under the lawnmower.
• Cut down the herbaceous border.
• Germinate seed potatoes for a 4–5-week head start compared to planting directly in the kitchen garden.

 

Inspiration:

• Plan out decorations before moving plants into the greenhouse. Shelves and tables can elevate plants and tools, creating a calm space with a free floor for more pots, enhancing the beauty of plant colours.
• Plan your kitchen garden with a well-thought-out layout. Soil should never be wasted, but instead, host a continuous rotation of crops. Fast crops like salad, radishes, spring onions, spinach, rocket, and peas can be cultivated multiple times in a season. Slow crops include root crops, cabbage, corn, squash, and pumpkin.