The first snowdrops stick their little white heads out of the ground in February. The buds of the imposing and colorful rhododendron are also getting thicker and thicker. In short: Spring sends the first tender messages and lures one or the other allotment gardener outside. And that’s good. Because in February there is a lot to do, especially for those who have fruit trees in the garden. Perennials and hedges also need to be cared for. In this article you can find out what other small but important work is due in February.
The apples from the weekly market are delicious. But the ones from your own garden taste even better. And to ensure that it stays that way and that the harvest in the 2022 gardening season does not turn out to be a failure, apple and pear trees should be pruned for maintenance in February. This includes cutting off all competitive shoots, cutting back all vertical water shoots and removing overhanging fruit wood. And in that exact order. Anyone who is unsure should take a look at relevant specialist literature such as “Everything about pruning” (Helmut Pirc). The most important and indispensable helper for cutting is high-quality pruning shears. If thicker branches have to be removed, it is better to use slightly more powerful (geared) pruning shears, such as this model from Fiskars or a small pruning saw. The maintenance cut is intended to slow down excessive growth and stimulate fruit set.
Allotment gardeners should already devote themselves to their compost heap in February. Around the turn of the year, rain and other precipitation compacted the decayed material. For this reason, the compost should be thoroughly rearranged and thus aerated. This stimulates the millions of microorganisms to become more active again. To loosen and air it is best to use a spade or digging fork. Here’s a spade fork from Gardena. Half-ripe compost can also be distributed and worked into the planned vegetable beds in February.
Tomatoes and peppers are among the most popular vegetables among hobby gardeners. And they want to cultivate the nightshade family from the seed to the ripe fruit themselves. For this to succeed, the seeds can be sown as early as February. Important: Nightshades are freeze cats and should be given plenty of warmth from seed to harvest. A heatable greenhouse (here a miniature variant) or cold frame is ideal. Tomatoes, chillies or peppers also develop splendidly under a transparent hood in little pots or multi-pot pallets on the windowsill at home. With the right growing soil, you usually only have to wait about ten days until the first cotyledons “see” the light of day. Here’s a mini greenhouse for the windowsill with a transparent hood.
This article contains so-called affiliate links. Further information are available here.
