All the Dirt: A Short But Busy Month

By Jim Nunweiler Saturday, February 06, 2010

February may be the shortest month in the year, but we gain more than an hour of daylight. And we’ll keep gaining daylight through the summer solstice in June. This gradual increase in daylight helps awaken the plant kingdom from its winter slumber.

While we anticipate warm spring breezes, there are still some winter tasks that need to be accomplished in your garden now. If you have any deciduous trees or shrubs that you have wanted to move, now is the time while they’re still dormant and before the buds start to swell. When pruning these shrubs, try to open up the center of the plant to allow adequate air circulation and avoid possible diseases during the summer. Also check your trees and shrubs for broken limbs.

February also is a great month to cut back your ornamental grasses. You don’t want to cut these off level with the ground, and keep the top rounded for aesthetic purposes. Be on the lookout for bulbs that may have heaved up from frozen ground and try to reseat them in the soil. Then add more mulch to these areas to help reduce further heaving.

If you are holding any summer flowering bulbs over to be replanted in the spring, check for new growth. If they are showing signs of growth, put them in a plastic bag with some moist peat moss and place the bag into the refrigerator. You need to slow the growth down with a temperature above freezing but below 45 degrees Fahrenheit or the new growth will become leggy prior to planting.

Grape vines should be pruned as early as possible in February to avoid excessive bleeding when the weather warms up. Any cane fruits such as blackberries or raspberries should have last year’s fruit-producing canes cut and removed to promote new growth.

Keep seed on hand for the bird feeders. You want to keep the welcome mat out for them so they will stick around and keep the insect population down in your garden this summer. Oh, and if you haven’t already, get you lawn mower blade sharpened. This could come into use as early as next month.

Now is a good time to decide if you want to use raised beds for flowers or vegetables. These can simply be made with pressure treated 4x4 lumber or landscape timbers. Also be thinking about vertical gardens. These can be ideal for pole beans, cucumbers, and tomatoes. The framework can be made out of bamboo stakes, wire, string, and metal reinforcing wire, which I prefer for tomato cages.

Something to keep in mind when you go vertical is shade. When you lay out your garden, you want to give those plants that require sunlight enough of it.

When it comes to vegetable gardening, now would be a great time to spread a layer of horse manure, if available on top of the garden so it can decompose before working it in and planting.