Unknown to a lot of people, February is a brilliant month to kickstart the Vegetable growing season. With Spring only just around the corner, it won’t be too long until temperatures creep up, therefore a lot of seeds can be sown inside or in a greenhouse, there are even some vegetables that you can sow directly outside, so long as you have protective polythene covers to protect the soil from the winter frost. February is also a great month to get your vegetable patch prepped and soil nice and healthy so you’re ready for the main planting season next month.

Preparing your Vegetable Patch

We recommend using February to get your vegetable garden or allotment prepared so it has the best growing conditions for when the planting season properly commences next month. If your allotment has heavy clay soil, it’s best to finish any deep digging as soon as possible, so that late frosts can break it down into a reasonable tilth in preparation for sowing and planting. If your soil is light and sandy there is no need to dig. Once the ground has dried out enough for it to be cultivated, lightly fork it over and cover it with polythene sheeting or cloches, to keep it dry and warm it up ready for the main sowings this Spring.

Vegetable Seeds to Sow in February

Remember that growing conditions vary depending on your location but it’s important to create a warm and safe environment for your seeds to germinate effectively. Most people choose to sow their vegetable seeds inside their house at this time of the year, maybe on a window seal, where it’s warm and light. If you’re lucky enough to have a greenhouse, this is also a brilliant place to begin the early stages of vegetable growing although one thing to consider when sowing in your greenhouse is temperature. If temperatures are really low, frost can still enter your greenhouse, so just make sure you cover your seedling trays with a polythene cloth so the frost can’t kill them. Seedlings also like a nice comfortable bed to grow in, so we recommend planting them inside punnets, seed trays, small pots or even egg cartons, and filling them with a good quality multi-purpose compost.

What can I sow indoors?

• Potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Peppers
• Chilli
• Aubergine
• Celery
• Celeriac
• Onions
• Salad Onions
• Basil
• Beetroot
• Lettuce

What can I sow Outdoors?

There are in fact a few vegetables you can sow directly outside during February as they’re hardier and more likely to survive colder temperatures, but we still recommend using polythene sheets to protect them from frost. Remember to always check the back of your seed packet to find out what growing conditions they require and the time until harvesting.

• Leeks 
• Carrots
• Radish
• Rocket
• Baby beetroot
• Parsnips
• Spinach
• Peas (mangetout and sugar snap)
• Turnips
• Shallots
• Garlic

As you can see there are plenty of delicious vegetables you can get started with growing. If you’re a first-time gardener and want some growing advice, we’re always happy to help out and offer our wealth of gardening advice. Just give us a shout on one of our social channels or call our team.