Gardening Tips

Gardener!

Gardening Tips

February in the Vegie Patch

BY KATH IRVINE

Even though the summer harvest is in full swing, its time to turn our attention to planting Autumn and Winter crops. Make the most of the warm nights and fast growth to get slow growing winter crops like carrots, parsnips, leeks and cauliflowers underway, ensuring there’s plenty of kai right through till spring.

Match what you plant and sow this month, to the season that you are having. If its likely to be roasting hot and dry for a good few months yet, you may want to delay the planting of your carrots and winter brassicas. And if its already cooling off, you’ll want to get your skates on!

What to sow and plant in February

Direct Sow

Greencrops – phacelia, lupin, buckwheat, red clover or mustard in any gaps. Give your soil a rest and/or create a living mulch to plant into in autumn.
Lupin to pave the way for May brassica plantings.
Kohlrabi, carrot, parsnip or radish. Such good carrots these ones, sown in the heat and harvested in the cold.
Companion flowers like calendula, chamomile, larkspur, wallflower, cornflower, snapdragons, love in a mist and borage to keep your garden and greenhouse blooming.
Coriander, salad greens and rocket beneath taller crops or flowers to keep them shaded and prevent bolting.

Tray Sow

Start autumn brassicas off now in a little, gentle fashion. A few each of cauli, cabbage and broccoli makes a useful mixed and staggered harvest. Generally speaking – broccoli are ready first, then cabbage then cauli.
Tray sow silverbeet, perpetual beet, chard, parsley, spring onion, red onion or celery.
Wallflower, dahlia, chamomile, dianthus, larkspur, echinops, hollyhock, anise hyssop – flowers for winter and spring!

Direct or Tray Sow

Basil. Little and often sowings of basil are super useful. Basil is at its best when fresh and young – such a beautiful summer herb. Let the old plants flower for the bees and save the seed.
Dwarf beans into warm soil. Another row sown now will take you through autumn.
Beetroot and saladings can be either tray sown in shallow plug trays or direct sown along the picking edge.
Bok choy or Kale.

Transplant

Before planting, check in first with your soil. Choose the best soil for heavy feeders like brassicas. Where soil is poor, sow a greencrop, build a compost heap or add compost before planting.

Autumn brassicas and winter greens can start going in – broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts, kale, silverbeet, perpetual beet, chard, parsley and celery.
Leeks for spring
Spring onions
Saladings in the semi shade
Zuchinni and cucumber in the greenhouse
Companion flowers