Grow your own: February
What to sow, plant and pick in a Mitchel Troy garden or allotment in February. Mitchel Troy sits in a frost-prone valley, so tender crops go out at the end of May, not the start.
Jobs for February
- Set seed potatoes in egg boxes to chit in a cool, light place.
- Cover soil with fleece or plastic to warm it for early sowings.
- Sow broad beans outside in milder spells.
Sow indoors
On a windowsill, in a greenhouse or under cover
Tomatoesfrost-tender
Greenhouse plants can go in from late April; outdoor ones only once frosts are over.
Chillies & peppersfrost-tender
They need a long, warm season — start early on a sunny windowsill.
Leeks
Drop seedlings into deep dibber holes and fill with water, not soil.
Lettuce
Sow a short row every fortnight; it bolts in hot, dry spells.
Parsley
Slow to germinate; soaking the seed overnight helps.
Sow outside
Straight into the ground
Broad beans
Autumn sowings crop earliest; pinch out the tips when pods form to deter blackfly.
Plant out
Seedlings, sets and young plants
Garlic
It needs a cold spell to form proper bulbs — autumn planting is best.
Rhubarb
Don't pull any in its first year, and stop picking in July.
Ready to harvest
- Leeks
- Parsnips
- Kale
- Purple sprouting broccoli
- Brussels sprouts