What to do in February

I'm inundated with monthly newsletters telling me what to do in the garden each month. Here's my own version of the monthly newsletter with what I'll be getting up to this month.

In the flower garden

• Prune overwintered fuchsias back to one or two buds on each shoot. I brought 3 hardy fuschia plants in the autumn for a splash of colour. It's time to cut them back ready for them to burst into life again. 

In the vegetable garden

• I'm sowing parsnips ourtdoors.
• Hoe vegetable seed beds. The frosts have broken up the clumps in the mushroom compost I have spread.
• Plant out winter brassica under cloches. These were a bonus as I planted a load of seeds in November and they all took. I'll be planting out All the year round cauliflower, spring greens, perpetual spinach and chard bright lights. I've gone for cloches as they're still young.

In the fruit garden

• Plant out strawberries. I opted not to move strawberries from the allotment for two reasons: they are riddled with bind weed and couch grass; they are old and I have no idea why variety they all are. I decided to start again with 4 plants of 3 varieties, Cambridge Favourite, Florence and Flamenco Diamonte. These are and early middle and late variety to extend the growing season. I ordered them from T&M for delivery in November but they've only just arrived.

In the greenhouse

• I'll be starting tomatoes (see previous post), spring onions, lettuce, Brussels and PSB.

From your armchair

• Sort seeds again. I doubt I'm the only one who likes to do this again and again!
• Continue to plan vegetable and procrastinate over design and location  for another month before March when I start planting in a bigger way.

Other jobs about the garden

• Trim hedges before the birds start nesting. Just the back garden to do now!

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