What to sow in your greenhouse in February?
While it is possible to plant certain plants in the ground as early as February, other more sensitive plants will need to be sown in the shelter of a greenhouse to be protected from the cold and bad weather.
This is all the more true in regions where winters are more severe. If you live in one of these regions, it remains important to insulate your greenhouse from the cold, as with bubble wrap, unless heated. Don’t forget that if you have a greenhouse and you start sowing a few plants, this will give you a head start on spring because you will be able to transplant the plants earlier. Let’s see the plants in question.
Vegetables to sow in a greenhouse in February
In February, you can sow the following vegetables:
- Carrots : you can sow them, but if you do not live in a region with a mild climate, you will still need to protect your seedlings with a veil.
- Radish : sow them only if no frost is expected for a few days.
- Peas : an ideal vegetable to sow in a greenhouse in February, because you will be able to harvest it earlier and in larger quantities.
- Let’s card.
- Cabbage.
- Salads : favor sowing in a terrine and here too, if cold temperatures are forecast, protect your seedlings with a veil.
On the other hand, some vegetables, such as eggplants, peppers, chili peppers, etc., can actually be sown in February, but they will need a heating system. If you do not intend to install additional heating in your greenhouse, forget about these vegetables for the moment and wait until sunny days or prepare a warm layer.
Vegetables to be sown on a hot bed in a greenhouse
For certain vegetables, if you want to anticipate their cultivation, you can prepare a warm layer in your greenhouse.
A warm bed is a layer about thirty centimeters thick made of a mixture of organic materials such as horse manure, leaves, grass, straw and ground green waste. You can install this warm layer in a pit about fifty centimeters deep dug in the ground of your greenhouse if it is in the ground or in a container that you have purchased or built.
When the temperature has dropped in the warm layer you can sow:
Obviously, you don’t need to bring a warm layer if you live in the South or on the Atlantic coast.
Flowers to sow in a greenhouse in February
You can also start sowing annual flowers, wallflowers, adonis, sunflowers, hollyhocks if the temperatures are not too cold. Furthermore, you can start summer bulbs and sow pansies, nasturtiums, ranunculus, begonias, foxgloves, daisies.
Aromatic herbs to sow in a greenhouse in February
For the moment, temperatures are still too low to sow aromatic herbs, with the exception of one: parsley, which is more robust than the others. It will still be important to be vigilant and protect it if necessary.
Other work to be done in your greenhouse in February
During the month of February, you can carry out several tasks in your greenhouse.
- When the sun comes out and it’s not too cold, ventilate your greenhouse. This will help you avoid the build-up of condensation and combat the spread of diseases and pests.
- To keep your greenhouse healthy and bright, maintain it regularly. This means that you must clean the windows to promote light inside, clean the floor if it is not dirt, as well as the containers.
- Be sure to maintain the plants you have sheltered in your greenhouse when the bad days arrive. You can thus prune those that need it, rid them of dead leaves and stems, but also repot semi-hardy plants and gradually begin to resume watering to encourage their recovery. This is the case for fuchsias, pelargoniums, etc.
- If you live in a region with a mild climate, It’s time to whiten your conservatory windows. Watch for plants that are starting up again and increase watering.
- Check winter protection and, if necessary, reinforce them, especially if frost episodes are expected.
Diseases and pests to watch out for in February
During this time, it is also important to closely monitor the plants in your greenhouse to detect any diseases that may develop. Regular monitoring allows you to act quickly and limit the damage. Here is what you should pay particular attention to:
- Red spiders: they like dry atmospheres and can colonize your plants. To fight against them, mist your plants.
- Mealybugs: make sure they don’t settle on your plants, especially if you have cacti in your greenhouse. Indeed, they like warm and humid environments. If you spot any, you can remove them with a cotton swab soaked in a mixture of black soap and methylated spirits.
- Rodents : make sure they cannot get into your greenhouse.
- Whitefly larvae: they can sometimes be confused with mealybugs. To fight against them, you can use tansy or fern manure. Later, you can introduce predators into your greenhouse, such as ladybugs.