Although it is still cold outside, the owners of the gardens are already impatient, because they would like to as soon as possible enter the beds and the flower beds. If in autumn we prepared them for spring, on sunny and dry days, also in light frost, we can start sowing vegetables even at the beginning of February.
Early emerging plants have an advantage over those sown in spring, they are stronger and he althier than them. For accelerated cultivation, spinach, carrots, early varieties of lettuce, dill, parsley, kohlrabi and onions are suitable. It is worth covering the sown bed with agrotextile. Most often, however, the sowing period begins at the end of February at the earliest.The soil is no longer excessively moist, it does not collapse under our feet, so we can easily start preparing the flower beds.
Rake and compost the remnants of plants sown for green manure. Then we work the soil with a knurl. Finally, loosen the top layer of the substrate with a hand-operated cultivator or claws and spread the compost. From the end of February, in the greenhouse, we sow summer flowers and thermophilic vegetables, such as tomatoes, peppers or eggplants.Don't hesitate to buy seeds until the last minute, as rarer varieties disappear from stores very quickly.
Secateurs in hand!
Even before spring comes, we start cutting, cutting and pruning. Garden saws and secateurs are in motion. The shrubs that were always green were most of all affected by the frosts. In order for the plants to sprout new shoots, we cut the dead branches down to the he althy wood in due time.
Shrubs that bloom in summer, such as barbula and thyme, are pruned very hard on frost-free days. By summer, they will produce new shoots with lots of flowers. This procedure should not be delayed, because the later the cut is made, the later the flowering period will come. Also in February, the wisteria habit should be sorted out.Each side shoot from the previous year should be cut as short as possible, leaving its base with flower buds.We can recognize them very easily because they are much larger than the leaf buds.
Many pests have survived on fruit trees. Spraying that destroys them should be done at the optimal time, i.e. when the buds are swelling. First, use a hard brush to scrape loose pieces of bark off the trunk. Spray the cleaned surface until it becomes wet.A thin layer of oil will choke the pests and their eggs, causing them to die.
We should weed as soon as possible. Couch grass and ground elder are particularly troublesome plants. Their young suckers are best extracted from the ground with a pitchfork.
