To Do List - February

There are always plenty of things to do in the garden. Here is a list of jobs to do this month.

• Sow beets, carrots, radishes, lettuce, spinach,coriander, parsley, watercress, pak choi, and garden peas directly in the garden; cover the planting rows with mulch or compost to warm the soil and keep weeds at bay.
• Its not too late to add bulbs into your garden.
• There seems to have been a bumper harvest of oranges this season. For the fruit to be at its best, you need to picking any left by the end of this month.
• The flowering of Spring shrubs seem a month earlier this year, which is great for the all year round colourful gardens. To increase their longevity, start to apply a balanced fertiliser this month, preferably prior to rainfall, or spread organic mulches throughout your beds.
• If you want to add new plants or trees, this is an ideal time. The soil is cool but will start to warm up very shortly, which will stimulate new root growth with very little stress.
• It’s a tough call to carry out major pruning right now, although it is normally a good time. The unseasonably warmer temperatures that have mimicked mid-spring time, have stimulated new growth. Be warned though, that if we experience a very cold spell during February, many trees or shrubs might suffer from the shock. My advice would be to carry out just smaller cutting back and trimming.
• Perfect time to seed a lawn or lay turf, the temperatures are not too cold and the added benefit of rainfall will lessen the blow on your water meter.