February Seed Starting Schedule - Our Stoney Acres (2024)

FAQs

What should I start seeding in February? ›

If you live in a warm-weather growing zone, you can start sowing your vegetable seeds outdoors this month. In cooler areas, you can jumpstart your gardening season when you start seeds indoors in February.

Fresh fruit to begin planting include: watermelon, cantaloupe and strawberries. Now is a good time to prepare pumpkin seeds in the garden because the seeds take so long to mature.

Start vegetable seeds By mid February you can start broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale and lettuce. By the end of February or in March you can start seeds for tomatoes, peppers, annuals and perennials. Start annual seeds By mid February you can start seeds for cool season annuals such as pansies and alyssum.

Grass seed germinates at different rates, depending on various factors such as the grass species, weather, time of year and soil moisture. Typically, germination takes between five and 10 days. Once germinated, the grass will continue to grow at a rate of about 2/3cm per week.

For many garden plants in fact, a soil temperature below 50°F can be a problem. With temperatures in the 40s, seeds will readily absorb water, but not start to grow.

No, it's not too late to plant seeds!

You can start seeds year-round. It depends on what you would like to accomplish after planting your seeds. There is short-season gardening, hydroponic growing, indoor gardening, jump-start growing to have huge plants to transplant in spring, etc.

Summary. Many perennials seeds can be sown right up to first frost. Veggies and other annual seeds need time to mature before first frost. How late you can start seeds outdoors depends on the type of seed and when you expect first fall frost in your area.

Give leeks, capsicum, chillies, cabbage, silverbeet, lettuce, sweet corn, cauliflower, broccoli and tomatoes a go towards the end of the month. It's too hot for most herbs, but you could try some lemongrass.

What fruit is in season in February and March? ›

Apples, grapefruit, kiwi, lemon, lime, blood oranges, oranges, passion fruit, pear, persimmon, pomegranate, rhubarb.

Raspberry canes, red-currants, white-currants, black-currants and blackberries can be planted in the month of February, but make sure the soil is not frozen. Bare-root strawberry, stone fruits such as apricots, peaches, nectarines, and gooseberries can be grown in the month of February.

In zone 7, cool-weather vegetables can usually be planted outdoors in early February. These crops include beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, lettuce, onions, peas, potatoes, radishes, spinach, turnips, kale and collards.

Crops that are best started indoors include broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, and tomatoes. Those with a slower root development, like cauliflower, celery, eggplant, and peppers, should also be started indoors.

Sage, parsley, coriander, rosemary, thyme, and mint are perfect for growing in the cooler months. Plant with full sun and harvest in a matter of weeks, although a lot of herbs can be picked right after planting seedlings.

Carrots, Spinach, Green Onions, Radishes, Lettuce, Kale, Mustard Greens, Swiss Chard & Mizuna!

You can sow seeds for winter vegetable crops, like salad greens, radishes, carrots, onions, Swiss chard, English peas and kale. Look for transplants of other cool-season vegetables, including Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower. Herb transplants also appear in garden centers during winter.

The general consensus is that February through April is the best time to begin overseeding your lawn with warm-season grasses—and it makes sense, when you think about it. Overseeding in the middle of winter means the dormant seeds have to weather the worst parts of the season.

When it's October, people often wonder if it is too late to plant new seed. The good news is if you hurry, seed can still be planted in October with the hope that it will survive the upcoming winter. Although September is the best time, often we can still plant grass seed up to October 15 with good results.

Use a “mist – lightly water – deeply water” process like this: After seeding and fertilizing, you'll want to keep the top inch of soil moist until the seeds start to germinate (aka sprout). This means misting the area once a day, maybe twice if it's unusually hot out there—but don't let the area get soggy.

Will seeds germinate at 40 degrees? ›

For example, garden peas will begin to germinate when soil temperatures reach 40 degrees F, with optimum germination occurring between 40 – 75 degrees F. Other vegetables that begin germination at 40 degrees F include radish, carrots, cabbage, and turnips.

Seeds of early spring cool-season crops can be planted when the soil temperature is 40 degrees or above. This includes lettuce, peas, kale, radishes, arugula and spinach. When the soil reaches 50 degrees, plant seeds of leeks, onions, Swiss chard and turnips.

That leads to condensation on all surfaces in the garage, including on your seeds. When they absorb the moisture, the seeds can lose some dormancy, but worse, they can be damaged if that moisture freezes.

Planting too early in cooler temperatures can cause stunted growth, wilting, surface pitting, foliage necrosis and increased susceptibility to disease. Low soil temperatures can stunt plant growth and prevent root development. Most summer vegetables like soil temperatures of between 55 and 65 degrees.

However, January is far too early to start most seeds and sowing seeds too early is just as bad – maybe worse! – than starting them too late. Don't waste your time, money, and supplies with early seed starting.

Chives. Chives are a great herb to grow on your kitchen counter! They come up very quickly—it'll only take 2-3 days for chives to sprout. Additionally, they are quite happy at room temperature, just place it near a sunny window.

Seeds that have been stored in a cool, dry place are generally viable for at least a year past the season for which they were packaged and may be good for up to five years.

Winter Sowing. Sow cold-hardy perennials or annuals. For me in zone 6, sowing time is February and early March. Examples: Brussels sprouts, Monarda (bee balm), pansies.

February is also a good time to plant summer-flowering bulbs in pots, most of which do best in free-draining soils. You can plant hardy perennials such as Japanese anemones and hardy geraniums, too. Most are dormant in February, with little or no foliage growing above the ground.

Is February a good time to plant? ›

As such, February is an important month for gardeners to make plans for spring—and what could be a more uplifting way to spend winter's last big stand? While it's too cold to plant outside in most parts of the northern hemisphere, February can be a great time to sow seeds in pots in a greenhouse or inside.

February is when the citrus options are really at their most plentiful. As well as the standard navel oranges, ruby grapefruits, and Eureka lemons, you can find unusual options like blood oranges, Meyer lemons, and even the giant pomelos.

Actinidia (kiwi), orange, tangerine, clementine, lemon, grapefruit, apple, pear, dried fruits.

February. Apples, Beetroot, Brussels Sprouts, Carrots, Celeriac, Chicory, Jerusalem Artichokes, Kale, Leeks, Mushrooms, Onions, Parsnips, Pears, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Red Cabbage, Salsify, Savoy Cabbage, Spring Greens, Spring Onions, Squash, Swedes, White Cabbage.

Plant your strawberry plants if you live in a milder climate. Fertilize established strawberry beds. Apply straw or other mulch to your new strawberry beds when you plant them, either in February or March.

Oranges. Winter is the peak season for citrus, and oranges are in season from January to March.

As mentioned, zone 6 has a frost-free date range of March 30th to April 30th with a more definitive first freeze-free date of May 15th and a last freeze-free date of October 15th. These dates are intended to be a guideline.

Cold-hardy plants

Broccoli, beets, cabbage, cauliflower and kale can all be started from seed indoors before bringing them out several weeks before your projected frost-free date.

When should I start winter seeds? ›

The best time to winter sow perennials and hardy annuals is generally December to March depending on the weather conditions in your area. These seeds require a consistent period of moist, cold temperatures before germination occurs in spring.

​January weather in zone 7 is some of the trickiest to predict but offers a great possibility. Indoor Vegetables and Herbs: If you haven't started your celery, parsley, leeks, and onions, get them started indoors. Toward the end of the month, you can also start broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, and lettuce indoors.

The fastest germinating seeds include everything in the cabbage family – bok choi, broccoli, kale, cauliflower etc, and lettuce. The slowest seeds to germinate are pepper, eggplant, fennel, celery, which may take 5+ days. The rest such as tomato, beets, chard, squash, onions, will take about 3 days.

If you didn't start your own seeds, buy transplants and seedlings of early-season crops like radishes, spinach, onions, leeks, lettuce, cabbage, beets, peas, Brussels sprouts, and carrots. Begin setting out your early-season crops.

Fescue seeding should be done in the spring before the weather turns too warm. The first time after mid-February when the lows at night stay above freezing for 10 or more days should signal your fescue-seeding urge.

Gardeners have had much success using a cold frame for tomatoes, peppers, and all vine crops, such as squash, cucumbers and melons. Gardeners also use them for all the popular flower varieties such as zinnias, sunflowers, petunias and impatiens, just to name a few.

If you're wondering how cold is too cold for grass seed germination use our rule of thumb and check the weather reports. If the daytime temperature is below 60^°F then soil temperature is below 50^°F, making it too cold; if there is frost or still a danger of frost, then it's too cold.

What temperature kills grass seed? ›

Cool-season grasses go dormant and do not grow during hot weather, when the soil temperature goes above 65 degrees F. Since this is common during the peak summer months, planting cool-season grass seed can result in poor seed germination or even seedling death.

A Simple Seed Starting Rule

Start seed 6 weeks before your last frost date. For annuals and perennials you can extend this to 8 weeks. Most seed germinates in 2 weeks, so this gives you 4-6 weeks of actual growing time before they go outside and that is adequate time for seedlings to put on enough growth to be outside.

Seeds are applied at this time, knowing the seed will not germinate in the cold, winter months. Instead, seedlings will emerge once conditions begin to warm in the early spring. The optimal temperature for tall fescue to germinate is between 59-72 degrees F.

Young seedlings normally emerge and grow best when air temperatures are between 70 and 80 degrees. Soil temperatures need to be greater than 60 degrees for good germination. It is generally better to go a bit early than to seed late.

Fescues are a cool-season grass, so it's best to plant its seed in early fall between mid-August and mid-October when outdoor temperatures average around 70° to 75°F. This way, the young seeds will experience less heat, stress, and disease.

In the cold frame/under cloches

Sow broad beans, carrots, parsnips, early beetroot, salad onions, lettuces, radish, peas, spinach and summer cabbages outside under cloches, if you have light (sandy) soil and live in a mild part of the UK.

Cold-hardy plants

Some long-season seedlings can also be planted before the last frost. Broccoli, beets, cabbage, cauliflower and kale can all be started from seed indoors before bringing them out several weeks before your projected frost-free date.

A spare room, unfinished basem*nt or even a garage will work to start your seeds, as long as the minimum nightly temperature is above 50°F.