February Gardening Tips for Southern California
February weather can be a big question mark. The month can bring an abundance of warm, spring-type weather or rain soaked, wintery days. Regardless of temperature and moisture variations, gardeners can get a jump on their spring gardens by planting a variety of flowers and vegetables in February.
Summer Bulbs: Time to pull out summer bulbs from the refrigerator and plant them. These bulbs include tulips, crocus, amaryllis, daffodils and delphiniums. Some bulbs can be purchased and planted without the chilling process and should be in stock at nurseries. They include Dutch iris, lily, gladiolus and begonia.
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Plant Vegetables: Warmer temperatures give gardeners the green light to plant asparagus, onions, beets, Brussels sprouts, cilantro, chives, lettuce, rutabaga and morrow squash. These hardy plants can withstand a quick blast of cold temperatures and still grow vigorously. In warmer inland areas, plant tomatoes at the end of the month. Fruit will appear by Memorial Day.
Save Money, Plant From Seed: One easy way to save money in the garden this year is to plant from seed instead of buying mature plants from the nursery. Flower seeds that can be planted now for spring and summer-blooms include Bachelor buttons, California poppy, larkspur and wildflowers.
Plant An Herb Garden: Mild winters enable Southern California gardeners to begin planting herbs in February. Plant chive, cilantro, dill, fennel, mint and parsley even if more rain is in the forecast.
Tackle Weeds Now: Rain promotes winter weeds. Remove weeds with a hoe before they get too big. Don’t put weeds in a compost pile. If you do, the resulting mulch will spread weed seeds throughout your garden.
