February ’24 in Review

The first flower of the season…snowdrops on February 12, exactly the same date as the past two years!

The early days of February more than made up for the dismal gloom of January! There were 22 glorious, sunny days that not only lifted spirits, but energized the body and got the blood flowing! Although some days were still more than a bit chilly, some outdoor work was accomplished. Late last fall I was able to replace the rotten boards in any of the beds in the potager that needed replacing, but the rains and bad weather came before I was able to haul them away. They cluttered the paths and just generally annoyed me, so that was the first job on my list as soon as the ground was dry enough to take the golf cart out. Of course, all the nails and screws had to be removed before they were hauled to the pile back in the woods but it was pleasant work on a sunny day.

The dead stalks and debris were intentionally left to harbor pollinators overwinter.

The next job was to begin trimming and tidying the potager’s beds and borders. I’d intentionally left all the gardens behind the house, the potager and its borders, Addition Garden, Cutting Garden and back rows untrimmed for insects and their eggs that winter in the leaves and stems of dead plants. But it will soon be time to plant the ranunculus and set up the low tunnels so all the tall stalks in the raised beds had to go. It was still a bit early, so rather than throw stems on the compost pile, I propped them up at the edge of the woods and hopefully any hibernating good bugs will still be able to complete their cycles. It was nice to see the potager looking a bit tidier.

Lots of hellebores on the Fairy Slope. I need to get those old leaves trimmed off and do some tidying there!

One sunny day was spent cleaning and tidying the greenhouse, preparing it for the plants that were moved from the basement. A lot of flats and inserts were hauled to the basement, partly because they were needed there for seeding and up-potting, and partly just to create space in the greenhouse.

I love the early morning light on the snow. Front Island.

Of course, just as I was getting overly excited about starting the outdoor job list, Mother Nature reminded us that it was still winter with a lovely 6″ snowfall on February 16. No complaints here though, since this was the first real snow of the entire season. Snow brings a lot of nitrogen from the atmosphere to the soil, as well as adding much needed moisture. I sure wish we’d had that insulating blanket to help protect the perennials and shrubs back a few weeks when the temperatures were below zero and the winds were howling. It’s already apparent that some perennials have been lost. We enjoyed the snow while it lasted and I actually spent some time just reading by the fire, making soup, and looking at the beautiful view from our windows.

Sweet peas and larkspur in their toilet paper “pots” growing in the gazebo.

The seeding and transplanting continued on schedule throughout the month, ramping up as we move closer and closer to our last frost date, which is usually about May 10. Both light stands are filled to capacity, the big bench is full and 3/4 of the newly commandeered table is covered in plants. Just as soon as the weather allows, plants will be moved to the greenhouse. There’s still the long folding table set up in the unfinished basement bathroom, but until I get better lighting in there it’s for emergency use only. Naturally, watering takes just a little bit longer each week as the number of seedlings increases. The photo above shows jugs of sweet peas and larkspur that went into the gazebo to harden off and grow mid-month. They were the first seedlings moved outside. I’ve not used the gazebo as a plant space before, but after all the trouble with the raccoons turning over and dumping out the jugs on the patio last year, this seemed like a good solution. The number of varieties seeded in February was 83, and the number of plants transplanted in February was 1437, bringing the grand totals so far this year to 152 and 2,425 respectively. Of course, the number of plants is much larger when all the soil block seedlings (about 1,000) and the flats and flats of seedlings in rows still to be transplanted are included.

The final job for February was to put out new deer repellent canisters. Last year I waited too long, and the deer had a lovely late night snack on most of the tulips in the Front Island and several in the potager’s exterior border so no dawdling this year! It gave me a good opportunity to walk about and make a mental list of things that need to be done before I get busy picking daffodils and delivering bouquets.

The potager at the end of the month with the grass beginning to green up again.

So, that was February, which was a delightful month with all the sunshine and the first of the flowers to appear (snowdrops, primulas, hellebores, crocus, Iris reticulata.) Winter may not be quite over officially or non-officially but spring is definitely in the air.

The Front Garden at the end of February, all tidy and colorful! The plants seem certain that Spring in on the way!

I hope your February was filled with good fun, maybe a Valentine and candy, and that you are seeing signs of spring in your gardens as well. And now it’s March! Hurrah!