February Garden | Zone 8B | Texas

What are we planting this month?

February is a busy month in the Texas garden. This is when we set the foundation for spring crops while still protecting young plants from late cold snaps that are inevitable in this Texas weather. Some crops start indoors now, while others can be planted directly in the garden. I'm going to start a year long series of sharing just how I run our garden here on the farm. While, I may be growing for production, I also grow for my own family. I want an efficient and clean garden, but my soul needs a beautiful one too. So I have learned how to mix the market gardening style with the home gardening style that keeps me going out there everyday...even in the snow and ice.

Here's to growing what makes our heart smile!

What to Start Indoors

Starting seeds indoors gives warm season and slow growing crops a head start before they move outside while also allowing you to make sure you have enough healthy starts to fill your space. And when your garden is full, you can gift your extra starts to family or friends...because we all know we start too many seeds in the excitement for Spring.

Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplant: These crops need warmth and time. Start seeds in trays with a good seed starting mix. You want to make sure you are using a SOFT and FLUFFY seed starting mix. If you only have potting soil available, definitely sift it to remove the sticks and debris. Keep soil warm and evenly moist, not wet. Provide strong light as soon as seedlings emerge. Weak light leads to leggy plants. You can use regular LED shop lights as grow lights as long as they are at least 5500kw. Make sure and lift your seed trays to the light, within a few inches, to ensure you get strong healthy starts.

Do not rush them outside in the excitement of getting the garden planted. They will stay indoors until after the danger of frost has passed...and then I always wait at least another week and watch that 10 day forecast. You don't want all your time and money to be wiped out due to lack of patience. We will discuss the transplanting of these in a later blog.

Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts: These cool season crops can handle cooler temperatures later but still benefit from an indoor start. Plant seeds shallow and keep soil moist. These are small seeds, and they only have so much energy to get to the surface of the soil to begin photosynthesis. You don't want them buried so far they run out of nutrition before they make it to the surface.

I like to prep my trays by packing my soil with another tray, pre-moistening the tray, then sprinkle my seeds on the surface and lightly cover with more soil. Not compacting it, not over covering it. Rule of thumb is to cover your seeds by the distance they are in size.

Once seedlings have several true leaves, they can be hardened off and transplanted outside in late February or early March if weather allows. Remember, your first set of leaves are not true leaves. Those are called the cotyledons, or "seed leaves". These are the leaves that store the food for the seed and begin the photosynthesis for the seedling to begin to grow.

Continue to watch the weather. If you see that they may need protection as they are just beginning make sure to water them well and cover them to protect the leaves from freezing.

Lettuce, Spinach, Chard, Mustard, Celery: These crops grow well in cooler weather, which makes them perfect for both a spring and fall crop. I have even successfully grown them over winter.

Starting them indoors helps with uniform germination and allows you to create beautiful rows when transplanting. Choose a variety of colors and textures when you purchase our seeds and create a colorful row of reds, greens and burgundies. Lettuce and spinach prefer cooler soil and do not need deep planting. Again, I use the same technique as above for these smaller seeds. Making sure that when you water, you are using the mist setting on your nozzle head. We don't want to push them down too far in the soil and we don't want to over water, causing them to rot.

Celery grows slowly and needs consistent moisture and light. For faster germination you can soak your seeds overnight. This helps soften the outer shell of the seed. Covering your trays with plastic wrap will also help keep the humidity high and increase germination. Prepare to be patient! Celery seed can take up to 3 weeks to germinate.

Seed Starting Tips

Use clean containers with good drainage. Label everything! You will not remember in 3 weeks what you planted. Keep soil moist but not soggy. Over watering will rot your seeds. Provide airflow to prevent damping off and fungus from forming. Use grow lights if at all possible. You can place seedlings in the brightest window you have available, but it will still not be enough to prevent legginess completely. Harden off seedlings slowly before moving them outside. You want to take them out in increments, increasing the amount of time gradually over several days to a week. The elements outside are much harsher than the controlled environment you have just babied them in for their entire life.

What to Direct Sow

Some crops do best when planted straight into the garden. They do not like to have their roots messed with or disturbed and will struggle or fail completely if you attempt to transplant them.

Carrots and Beets: Plant seeds directly into loose soil. Do not transplant. You want to do these the same as our soil trays above. Make sure your planting in pre-moistened soil and only lightly dust them with more loose soil. Keep soil consistently moist until seeds sprout, do not heavily water. Thin seedlings once they are established...this is hard to do, but it is definitely an important step. Without thinning you won't get quality size carrots and will end up with lots of twisted and entangled bunches. Which is fun, but not efficient. I usually leave one section just because I like to see what silliness forms under that soil.

Snow Peas, Snap Peas, Shelling Peas: These love cool weather. Plant seeds early in February. Provide a trellis or support early so roots are not disturbed later. These are another seed that does well with a pre-soak overnight to aid in germination. You want to set your rows up about 12-24" apart, I usually do about 18" depending on which bed I am planting in. In your rows you want to plant your seeds about 3" apart to provide adequate room for them to grow and trellis.

Pea roots are shallow, so avoid a lot of cultivation around them with tools. Hand picking weeds is preferred. You will also want to keep them damp, but not over watered. Lastly, make sure you harvest regularly to promote continued production. We will dig into this further in a future blog.

Kale and Collard Greens: These are hardy and handle cold well. Seeds can be planted directly in prepared beds spaced 18"-24" apart. You want to keep them well watered and watch for germination in approximately 7-10 days. Thin plants as they grow for better airflow. These plants do well in well drained and nitrogen rich soil with plenty of sunshine.

Radishes and Turnips: Fast growing crops that are perfect for February planting and a quick gratification for that spring garden fever. Plant every one to two weeks for a steady harvest. Plants need to have consistent watering, but not waterlogged as they will split. Be prepared to harvest in anywhere from 45-65 days.

February 14th Potato Day

February 14th is known as potato day here on the farm. There are a couple ways to do this. You can cut seed potatoes so each piece has at least one eye and expect 5-6 potatoes per planting. Or you can leave them whole and plant the entire potato, cutting is not required. If you choose to cut, let pieces dry for a day before planting. This allows for a scab to form over the cut portion and prevent rotting. Plant in trenches or containers and cover lightly with soil. As plants grow, continue to hill soil up around the stems and feeding them from the side.

What to Do the Rest of February

• Check garden beds and add compost where needed.

• Finish pruning fruit trees and berry bushes.

• Install trellises and supports before plants need them.

• Protect young plants from hard freezes with frost cloth.

• Keep weeds under control early before they go to seed and spread, aiming to get the root out.

• Plan March planting and order any remaining seeds.

February sets the pace for the spring garden. Steady progress now makes March and April much easier and more productive.

May the soil be fertile, the harvest be bountiful and the farmer never grow weary.

~Farmer Mandy