We’re not trying to nag you or anything. No, it’s not time to go out and mow. You’ll do that later, when it’s far, far too hot even to think about it. What we’re talking about here is less unpleasant.
You may remember that earlier this month, a large rodent named Punxsutawney Phil predicted that this would be a longer winter rather than a shorter one. So what? He lives way up north of here, where winters are far nastier — almost as nasty as our summers.
Depending on how you squint at the map, we live in either zone 7 or 8, as such things are reckoned by gardeners. And chilly as it may sometimes be here in February, it’s time to start getting ready for the warmer, growing months.
Of course, there’s an abundance of websites out there that tell you what you should be doing each month. As we looked around, our favorite was this one, which back in January listed this as the very first thing you should be doing: “Take down your Christmas tree.”
Got that done? See? You’re not as far behind as you thought. On to February…
That same site goes on to recommend the following this month:
- “Prune your summer flowering shrubs.”
- “Prune fruit trees prior to the start of new growth.”
- “Get any materials ready for spring fertilizing.”
- “Cut back any liriope and groundcovers.”
OK, we don’t even know what “liriope” is, so let’s move on to another site, which recommends:
- “Give your tools a good cleaning and sharpening.”
- “On nice days, turn your compost pile. Or start one!”
- “Spread compost over beds that you will plant next month.”
OK, we haven’t run across anything that actually sounds like fun yet, so how about this: What can we plant to eat? There’s a wealth of advice out there about that. Some things to start with:
- Beets!
- Broccoli!
- Cabbage!
- Carrots!
- Lettuce!
- Onions!
- Peas!
- Potatoes!
- Radishes!
- Spinach!
- Turnips!
- Kale!
- Collards!
See, now that’s more like it!
But we’re going to confess something here that might shock you: As much as you may love your Stephens Grove blog, we are not actually gardening experts. We’re just trying to get you inspired. Get out there and do your own research. Read the seed packages. Look at your gardening books, or the Farmer’s Almanac for that matter. Google to your heart’s content.
Just don’t sit around inside waiting for something to happen. We’ve all done enough of that the last couple of years. Get out there and make some botanical magic happen…
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