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Almost time to start some seedlings

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Spring will be here in a month or so, and soon many of us will be setting up our grow lights and starting to plant seeds in the hopes of successfully growing some seedlings for our gardens.

Many of the tender annuals should be planted in mid- to late February, depending upon what gardening zone you are in, and most other plants can be started in March.

I’ll talk more about planting times in future posts.

In the meantime, just to get those gardening juices flowing, why don’t you watch this time lapse video of some seedlings growing:






February Gardening Tips

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I realize that February isn’t traditionally thought of as a gardening month in many areas of the world, but whether you live in a warm or cold climate there are some things that you can do for your garden in February.

In warm areas gardeners are likely perplexed by the weather as it can change from day to day, or even from day to night. Likewise, gardeners in cold climates might experience some fluctuations in the day to day or at least week to week temperatures.

February, for many gardeners is a month of planning, and for watching for the first signs of spring.

Here are some tips and ideas, set up by gardening zones, for the month of February:

All Gardeners –

  • Finish your seed and plant orders
  • February can be a difficult month for your houseplants – watch for pests
  • Care for your gardening tools. Have you cleaned and oiled your pruners?

Zone 8 and higher –

  • Keep and eye on the weather, watch for cold snaps. Be ready to protect tender plants
  • Keep watering your garden unless your area is undergoing water restrictions
  • Care for your annual flower bed, amend the soil if necessary
  • Plant cool season veggies – Kale, lettuce, broccoli, onions
  • Propagate new plants from cuttings
  • You can plant your cold hardy annuals such as Icelandic poppies and pansies
  • Harvest any winter crops before the weather warms causing them to bolt
  • Begin planting seeds for your warm season flowers and vegetables
  • divide your perennials
  • Prune roses and bareroot roses
  • Plant fruit trees and bareroot roses
  • Plant bulbs – crinums, amaryllis and calla lilies
  • protect your roses and fruit trees by using dormant spray on them
  • If you overwintered Begonia and canna tubers and corms it’s time to pot them up

Zone 7 and lower

  • If the weather is nice enough get out and prune your trees, shrubs – ornamental and fruit
  • Replace Mulch if necessary
  • If the ground has thawed check your flowerbeds and adjust any plants that may have heaved
  • check your garden, plants and trees for animal and pest damage
  • Cut branches for forcing indoors – dogwood works well
  • Give your Holly bushes a hard pruning to rejuvenate them
  • Check evergreens for dessication
  • This is the month to start cool season veggies, annual and perennial flowers by seed indoors.

Did the groundhog see his shadow?

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Alright readers, give me your report. Did the local groundhog in your area see his shadow today or not?

wiartonwillie.jpg

Confused about ground hog day? Well, it’s said that Groundhog day grew mainly out of a German superstition that if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on February second, the Christian holiday of Candlemas, that winter will last for another six weeks. However, if no shadow is seen it’s said that spring will come early.

We have a few groundhogs here in Ontario that we keep an eye on, on Feb. 2nd. Wiarton Willie is probably Canada’s most famous Groundhog.

For the record. I’m writing this post at 2:15 a.m. February 2nd. Obviously it’s dark out right now. My weathernetwork icon on my desktop says that tomorrow morning will be -9 c (15.8 F) and that it will be partial cloudy with a 30% chance of precipitation.

My prediction based on our warm winter up until mid- January, and the weather conditions for this morning is that our groundhog will NOT see his shadow.

Lets see if I’m right or not.

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