Gardening in Ohio in February
Don’t let that goofy groundhog fool you. There are six more weeks of winter coming your way. And, if you are like me, the only way to tolerate it is to begin to seriously plan for the years’ gardens.
If you missed my Gardening in Ohio in January post you can find it here.
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Things to Do:
- If you haven’t yet, it’s definitely time to shop for seeds.
- Educate yourself on how to grow specific vegetables from seed, before you get started. If there was a particular plant you had trouble with last year, now is the time to plan changes in how you treat that plant with a plan for success.
- What seed starting gear and lights will you use? Best to get the equipment in order— built or bought. I have this version with efficient T-5 grow bulbs. Also: Do you have fresh seed-starting medium (not potting soil–that’s too coarse for seeds) and flats, trays, pots, labels?
- Check shrubs and trees for storm damage, remove damaged branches using proper pruning techniques.
- Try bringing in branches of forsythia, crabapple and cherry to “force”. Place in a bright location in a vase of water and you’ll have a few spring blossoms to enjoy while you ride out the remainder of winter.
- Continue feeding our feathered friends, you’ll want them to stick around to help you in insect control when the weather warms again.
- This MIGHT be a good time to start seeds for annuals, perennials, and vegetables that are slow to mature. Starting plants from seed is a great way to propagate a large number of plants at a relatively low cost. You can grow plants you can’t find at your local garden center and get a jump-start on the growing season. Just make sure to wait until later in the month to start them and consider grow lights to help them along if winter looks like it’s going to hang on for a good while yet. Several websites have a “When to Start” seed starting calculator. Just Google it and try a give them a look.
- More garden planning. Plan out your garden on graph paper to get a good idea of what you want to plant and how much space it will take up in your actual yard/garden.
- Make a list, using your plans above, to take to nurseries and garden centers. The list will help you stay on task, make it a (little) less likely you will buy plants on a whim, and help you remember just what it was you were looking for in the first place.
- Your House Plants may notice the longer days, and begin growing. You can begin feeding them again, but only use a half strength solution of your House Plant fertilizer until the growth is robust.
- If you have a cold frame and conditions allow, sow an early crop of spinach and lettuce in it.
How do YOU garden in February?
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