1st time gardening, what to plant this month February

Skill Magill

I'll be doing my parents garden for them and haven't a clue where to start. Its mostly pots and a raised bed (an old coal bunker filled with soil).
Can I plant things in the pots now? I'll empty them out and put fresh soil in them. Do I put in bulbs or just scatter seeds in them and hope for the best?
What can I plant now? and how do I get them?

Complete novice by the way I primarily cut the grass and thats it.

Any links or advice will be taken on board.

Skill Magill

Thanks to looksee who answered me in another thread :

Its a bit early for seeds, and late for spring bulbs, coming up to time for summer bulbs but I would give it a little while yet, we are due some cold weather. You don't need to completely change the soil in the pots or bunker, take off about 4 - 8 inches and throw in a couple of bags of compost with John Innes, or a bag of compost and a bag of soil (into the bunker, equivalent for the pots) and mix them well.

Then when you see some primulas or the small pansies, probably in the supermarket or diy, but check that they have not been left to dry out, put in a pack or two of them. Later in the year - May at the earliest - you can replace them with summer flowering plants. You can buy a tray of young plants for the same price as a packet of seeds, and much more reliable.

Look out for easy shrubs in the likes of Lidl, things like Pieris, check back here if you see some on offer and wonder are they suitable, and put them in. They will become a permanent item, you can put some spring bulbs in next autumn. You will have to water them in the summer or anytime there is a few days of little or no rain.

HeidiHeidi

Might be O/T, but in late spring/early summer lash in a few mixed lettuce and rocket plants (also available as young plants from garden centres, but you could grow from seeds on the windowsill if you were bothered) - there is nothing like being able to go out and snip a few fresh leaves for your salad/sandwich/burger!

I regurgitate the news

Now is the time to start onions. I put them in a lunchbox on top of a damp bit of kitchen roll and then cover with another damp kitchen roll cloth and then place in a dark warmish place. Close the lunchbox or the water will evaporate and don't put too much water, just have it damp.

When they start germinating place them in a pot at the window. Harden them off by leaving them outside for a few hours a day and then once they are big enough, maybe after 6 to 8 weeks you can plant them outside.

I replant some of my onions so I can get them to flower and get a load of seeds.

I don't know if there's anything else worth getting going at this stage....maybe peas?

jmlad2020

Is now a good time to grow Spinach, maybe indoors perhaps? I believe it likes colder weather and my summer spinach started splitting fairly soon last summer

pat2167

You can plant radishes directly in the soil already and they are so easy to grow. Summer bulbs like gladiolus and lilies are good to plant now too. For a quick effect and little work, last May and June I've planted pots of herbs from a supermarket in my raised bed, it turned out to be our endless supply of fresh herbs all year long. Lidl is selling mini propagators with seeds at the moment( basic flowers, herbs, veggies), they work very well.

The Continental Op

If you know anyone with Snowdrops ask if you can have a few as this is the time to divide up clumps and replant them.

https://www.theenglishgarden.co.uk/expert-advice/gardeners-tips/simple-guide-to-dividing-snowdrops/

Don't plant dry bulbs bought in the garden center as they have a very poor success rate.

Skill Magill

Thanks for the replies, do you buy bulbs and seeds on line at all? It seems i might be better off buying baby plants from garden centers if they have them?
My mother grew some sunflowers a few years back, they came up really well, not sure what she did though. Propogate from seed on the window sill now and plant later or do they come in bulbs too?
Love the idea of spinach radishes onions and lettuce for the raised bed.

I wouldn't know anybody with snowdrops but like them when I see them in the botanic gardens
Do garden centers only sell dry bulbs of snowflowers?

HeidiHeidi

You can get packs of sunflower seeds anywhere.



I've grown them in mini-pots on the kitchen windowsill and transferred them out, and also just stuck some seeds in the ground (but much later in the year). I can't be scientific about it, but I think the ones from the windowsill had a better success rate. I have a feeling it's a bit too early for starting them now, they're more of a summer thing. But all packets of seeds will tell you when is suitable for planting.


I've also just stuck rows of lettuce/rocket seeds down in a bed I have - takes about three weeks for them to get to eating size - trouble is, no matter how sparing I try to be with the seeds (they're tiny), I still wind up with more leaves than I could possibly consume all ripening at the same time. So if you/your parents have the inclination, you could have a constant supply of plants coming on from seed on the windowsill, and plant them out regularly during the summer (I have yet to get organised enough to do this!)

A pack of seeds costs about €2, though, and doesn't really last beyond a season or two, so I just toss 'em down, eat as much as I want, and compost the rest!

CelticRambler

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

A pack of seeds costs about €2, though...

Unless you get them in Lidl for 29ct!

I regurgitate the news

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

A pack of seeds costs about €2, though, and doesn't really last beyond a season or two, so I just toss 'em down, eat as much as I want, and compost the rest!

You can let the flower dry out and get hundreds of seeds for the following year for free

HeidiHeidi

I regurgitate the news wrote: »

You can let the flower dry out and get hundreds of seeds for the following year for free

I left them in situ this year, and the birds had a field day gorging on the heads! (assuming it's the sunflowers you're referring to)

Garlinge

Think about whether a tree or larger shrub would be an idea? Mid March is time to plant a tree so maybe an apple tree? Sadly for the moment no decent garden centres open.

Now is the time to get pencil and paper out and do some sort of plan. Work out the sun aspect and areas that might be always in shade, mark on distances, laundry area, bin storage etc ... this will help make decisions on planting and maybe bring along if looking for advice.

Keep an eye out in Aldi/lidl for large planting tubs which can otherwise be expensive. They can be filled with 'quick' flowers such as primroses and pansies and later geraniums that you will find in many retail outlets. In the autumn you can put bulbs in these pots and have extra layer of interest. Pots can be moved about in time for them to be in best position. Just a bother about watering.... think of a waterbutt in your plans?

Hocus Focus

Gardening blogs online are generally advising not to plant out until the beginning of March. You could start off with some of the seeds mentioned above (in seed trays, from the garden centre) on a warm sunny windowsill.

Sundew

Skill Magill wrote: »

I wouldn't know anybody with snowdrops but like them when I see them in the botanic gardens
Do garden centers only sell dry bulbs of snowflowers?

No they currently have snowdrops " in the green". I managed to pick some up in Woodies last week to plant out. Dont waste your breath buying snowdrop bulbs in Autumn.

Summer bulbs and bare root plants are available. Saw some in HomeStore & More, Well known DIY Stores if you are within 5km or are going there for essential items.
I order bulbs from FarmerGracey.co.uk if you sign up to their newsletter you will be notified when they do free postage to Ireland. Bulbs are sent from The Netherlands so Brexit doesn't effect importing them.
Comos & marigolds are great seeds for beginners..lots of colour throughout the Summer. Cosmos can be started indoors this month and you can get loads of plants from one packet. You can save the seeds for the following year in the Autumn.

Another good plant is a perennial wallflower ( cant think of name) it blooms nearly all year round .

Skill Magill

Thanks Sundew, the farmergracey site is great, might get some Lilies too if their handy enough to just plant in a pot and leave in a sunny part of the garden. (not this week, hailis pelting own outside)

looksee

Looks like farmergracey is in the UK, if they are anything like David Austin roses (and numerous others) they will be telling you they are not exporting to the EU.

Sundew

looksee wrote: »

Looks like farmergracey is in the UK, if they are anything like David Austin roses (and numerous others) they will be telling you they are not exporting to the EU.

They are an extremely reputable company. UK owned but bulbs are grown and shipped from The Netherlands which I believe is still in the EU! I am a regular customer and ordered loads of daffodils and tulips as recently as December from them. They ship all around Europe.

Sundew

Skill Magill wrote: »

Thanks Sundew, the farmergracey site is great, might get some Lilies too if their handy enough to just plant in a pot and leave in a sunny part of the garden. (not this week, hailis pelting own outside)

I've got lovely lillies from them. They do deals from time to time and as I said watch for the free postage about 6 times a year. They have a nice selection of daffodils . When the summer bulb selling season comes to an end, they will release their Autumn planting bulbs for next Spring. A good time to browse the different selections.....if you study the daffodils you can get some that flower early in Jan/ Feb to late ones in April. The bulbs naturally multiply themselves .
"Bowels Mauve" is the name of the wallflower 🙂

dubbrin

Skill Magill wrote: »

I'll be doing my parents garden for them and haven't a clue where to start. Its mostly pots and a raised bed (an old coal bunker filled with soil).
Can I plant things in the pots now? I'll empty them out and put fresh soil in them. Do I put in bulbs or just scatter seeds in them and hope for the best?
What can I plant now? and how do I get them?

Complete novice by the way I primarily cut the grass and thats it.

Any links or advice will be taken on board.

I suggest a courgette plant, maybe two depending on space. Robust and east to grow. Put it in a container 20/30L and once it's growing trim it back every now and again to keep it in order. Should give you a good few tasty courgettes of varying sizes and the male flowers are lovely in salads!