What to sow and grow in February.

The weather in February will most likely be rather unfavourable and I wouldn't consider planting anything directly into the ground apart from some late Garlics or some Broad Bean seeds, if you've not already done so.

It's advised to wait until at least Valentines day before you start to sow indoors on a sunny, south facing windowsill. This is because it's not only warmth that seedlings need to germinate and grow, but light as well.

Hardy peas for pea shoots, like Meteor are good to grow in loo rolls to start them off. Then when they are a few inches high you can plant them outside after *hardening them off for a few days.

Other things to start indoors this month would be Spring Onions, Lettuce, Spinach, Coriander and Parsley. I would wait until at least the end of February before you start Peppers, Chillis, Aubergines and Tomatoes.

*Gardening terminology - Hardening off.

When seeds are sown and germinated indoors, the seedlings, when big enough will need a few hours a day for several days to get used to the change in temperature and climate outdoors before planting into your veg patch. Just pop your seed trays or pots outside for the day and then bring them back inside for the cold nights.

Composting - First things first.

Last month I spoke about why it's good for your soil and the environment to compost your garden waste and food scraps. How you compost all depends on how much space you have. If you're lucky enough to have an allotment or a fairly good sized garden then you have many options. If however you don't have much space you might want to consider other, more compact ways to compost.

To compost well you will need a good supply of greens (Nitrogen) and browns (Carbon). It's not enough to just throw in all your kitchen waste (greens) and expect it to turn into compost, you have to have at least an equal amount or some would say double the amount of browns as well. Plain cardboard and shredded paper that would normally be put out for the recycle people is ideal.

If you have the space you might want to have just a simple compost pile surrounded by wooden palettes on three sides or a purpose built 3' x 3' wooden compost bin with a lid.

Smaller spaces might only house a plastic Dalek, as they are affectionately known or a free standing tumbling bin.

Even smaller still, you could try a Wormery or a Bokashi bin. All of these different ways I'll be going into in more detail in the coming months. For now here's a short beginners guide video.

Weeds, good or bad?

The humble Dandelion.

Did you know that the Dandelion has been cultivated in China for over a thousand years and that every part of the plant is edible, the leaves, roots and flowers?

Dandelions are very nutritious ranking in the top 4 green vegetables in overall nutritional value being packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

And undisturbed, a single dandelion plant can live up to 13 years.

However, if you don't want them in your veg patch, keep in mind that they have a very long tap root that needs to be dug up to stop the plant from regrowing.

I would say that Dandelions are both good and bad. What do you think?ext Link