A list of easy February garden chores that you can do for fruits and vegetables, flowers, and general yard tasks to get ready for spring. Includes a convenient printable checklist to download and customize.
I find February such a hopeful time of year - the end of winter is in sight and we can see spring on the horizon.
The northern garden chores for this month are all about continuing to clean up and plan, but is it's also the time to start your first seeds indoors.
PRO TIP: The time you take to plan for what you want to grow, where you want to grow them, and how you'll grow them will lessen the work you'll have to do in the spring. (This free multi-page garden notebook will help!)
Plus if you need new plants, it's a great time to get some deals on bare root roses, shrubs and trees.
Want all my best vegetable gardening tips and techniques to keep it simple and manageable? (Yes, it CAN be done!)
Grab this month's tasks in a convenient checklist form!
Grab this free printable by clicking the image below to open in a new window and then download, print, and add any of your own specific chores to the notes section:
PRO TIP: All the monthly garden chores checklists AND the garden journal are also available in the Subscriber VIP Library - subscribe to gain access to these and a lot more!
Of course everything you might get done outside hinges on the weather - I always like to take advantage of any mild days if I can.
February Garden Chores
Vegetable & Fruit Garden
- Traditional pea-planting date in the Pacific Northwest is president's weekend, though most northern gardens should wait for March. (However, when compared with plantings done a month later in my PNW garden, there was no difference in size, so feel free to wait!).
- Cut down (or till in) any cover crops. Of course you know I don't believe in tilling, so I would just cut down and gently turn over any cover crops.
- Cover unplanted raised beds and areas with black plastic to kill weeds in preparation for March and April planting.
- Prune berries, fruit trees, and blueberries.
- Prune and train grapes.
- You can plant hearty early spring greens in mild areas, including spinach. Plant in ground if soil temperature is 50-60 degrees, or in a cold frame or under cover to harvest April to May. Check out Garden Season Extenders: How to Use Cloches, Covers, Cold Frames & More for more information.
- Fertilize overwintered onions and garlic with blood meal or organic fertilizer.
- Fertilize and mulch rhubarb plants.
Flower Beds
- Plant bare root roses, berries, and fruit trees. TIP: Check out these 14 plants for spring blooms for ideas.
- Prune deciduous summer blooming shrubs.
- Prune clematis and ornamental vines. (However, not ALL clematis - go here to see which type to prune now.)
- Cut back any shrubs and perennials left over winter.
Seed Starting Inside
- You can sow broccoli, early cauliflower, and early cabbage (called cole or brassica crops) seeds indoors for planting out in March.
- Start tomato seed indoors late in the month. TIP: Want to grow amazing tomatoes? How To Plant Tomatoes That Thrive All Season and the Ultimate Tomato Guide: Grow, Harvest, Cook & Preserve will help!
- Start peppers earlier in the month because they take longer to germinate and grow than tomatoes. TIP: I've found starting them in 4-inch pots to transplant out late May means one less transplant to do.
- Start parsley and leek seeds.
- Can still plant some varieties of onion seeds indoors.
TIP: You can find all my seed-starting tips and tricks in this series:
You can see all the month-by-month garden chores lists here.
Lori says
Hi Jamie,
I love your blog. Such a terrific resource for so many things. I live in northern New Mexico and we have a terrible gopher problem. We've tried the gopher spikes, castor oil pellets and so many other things, but they always come back with a vengeance. I read on you blog that you put a gopher cage in the holes before you plant. Is that as simple as lining the hole with chicken wire? I'm always afraid it will disturb the roots. Any suggestions on the gopher cages or any other tricks to get rid of the gophers. Thanks!
Jami says
I SO feel your pain, Lori. When there is a long-standing infestation those types of solutions don't work (when they do work I think it's for people who have like one that they can run off, lol).
So this is the first year that I've planted with the baskets - I didn't even realize they were eating my tender new plant roots!
I read that chicken wire is thin enough that it will eventually disintegrate (over many years) at which time the roots will be big enough to withstand the nibbling (that's my observation, since we have established trees and a few shrubs). So I cut the chicken wire to be about double the size of the root ball, kind of the size when you dig the hole for a new plant, and bent the ends to hold it together in a cylinder. I simply bent the bottom of the cylinder toward the center, though I left a hole in the center - hopefully the gophers won't get in that 2-3" opening...
To fit the basket, you really have to dig more since the sides are straight - it took twice as long for me. I left about 1-2" above ground since one site I read said to since they will hop over (?) - I've never seen ours do this, though, they just pop out of the holes to dig and that's it.
Still in the testing mode - hopefully this will help my shrubs to grow more than they have been!
Dee says
Hi love your site. Looking forward to gardening help. Especially natural ingredients. Thanks
Jami says
I'm so glad to know this is helpful to you Dee!
Brenda says
Jami, I am also drooling over your gardening list! I am one of your Canadian readers and not from the west coast but Ottawa and our Winterlude celebration just started this weekend. The ground is frozen and covered with snow .... but thank you for making me optimistic that spring well come!
Jami says
Oh, I'm glad I could help, Brenda. 😉 There's still a lot of winter left for you up there...
Deborah says
Drooling as I look over your list. I can't wait for the snow to melt so I can get out there too!
Jami says
I feel for you, Deborah - I'm happy to live in a more mild climate. 🙂
Judy E says
I appreciate these monthly listings of things to do in the yard and garden in the NW! As new residents of Oregon City, this is a big help to us, keeping us aware of things we need to do. Thank you!
Jami says
Glad you find this helpful, Judy! Hope you're enjoying Oregon City. 🙂