What to do in the garden - february

In the vegetable garden

Start chitting potatoes in a bright, cool, frost-free place.

Start chitting early potatoes - stand them on end in a module tray or egg box and place them in a bright, cool, frost-free place.

Force rhubarb plants for an early crop. Plant new rhubarb crowns now.

Mulch perennial vegetables such as Asparagus and Artichokes with well rotted manure or garden compost. 

Start sowing vegetable seeds such as leeks, onions and celeriac under cover now.

Raised beds warm up quicker and drain faster on heavy soil

If you garden on heavy clay soil but want to make an early start in the garden, build raised beds before the growing season gets under way. The soil will warm up faster and raised beds drain quickly too.

Prepare vegetable seed beds by removing all weeds and forking in plenty of compost. Cover prepared soil with sheets of black plastic to keep it drier and warmer in preparation for spring planting.

 

In the fruit garden

Cut autumn-fruiting raspberry canes to the ground to stimulate new canes, which will fruit in the autumn. Cut the tips of summer-fruiting raspberry canes that have grown beyond the top of their supports; cut just above a bud.

Continue to plant raspberry canes for the summer

Continue to plant raspberry canes for the coming summer.

Prune apple trees and pear trees whilst they're still dormant. Leave plum trees, cherry trees and apricots until the summer as pruning these fruit trees now will make them susceptible to Silver Leaf disease.

Prune blackcurrant bushes, gooseberries and redcurrants to maintain a productive framework. Currant bushes can also still be planted between now and the spring.

Protect the blossoms of apricots, peaches and nectarines. These stone fruit trees can also be planted now. 

Mulch fruit trees with well rotted manure or garden compost taking care not to mound mulch up around the trunk.