-EP261 Whats Seed To Sow In February, Storm Eowyn Aftermath!!

In This weeks episode John looks at the seed sowing list for February. Discover how the promise of February renews our spirits, inviting us to synchronize with nature and begin the joyful process of seed sowing. Reflecting on the trials faced by Irish gardeners after the wrath of Storm Eowyn. Gardeners and Market gardeners, in particular, felt the weight of nature's harshness, yet February's arrival brings hope and the subtle cues of warmer days on the horizon.

Join us as we navigate the essential planting activities for February, with a comprehensive guide to sowing a variety of vegetables and flowers like spring onions, early cabbage, and calabrese. Our advice comes with a touch of humor, sharing tales of mysterious disappearing parsley leaves and the joys of cultivating herbs in polytunnels. Learn how to protect your blossoming fruit trees from the pesky deer overpopulation and start heat-loving plants like peppers and tomatoes early for a bountiful harvest. And as a special treat, we share our excitement about the woodpeckers frequenting our garden, hinting at an upcoming episode dedicated to the wonders of nature. Embrace the season with our tips and encouragement, ensuring a fruitful and flourishing garden year ahead.

Chapters

• 0:10 Seed Sowing Guide for February
• 5:36 February Seed Planting Guide
• 13:17 February Seed Sowing and Nature Excitement

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:10

how's it going, everybody, and welcome to episode 261 of master, my garden podcast. Now, this week's episode being the last day of january, thank god, and we're looking at the seed sowing guide for february. So if heard me talking about it before, I've mentioned it on the podcast over the last couple of weeks, but February is the month where we can kind of get started, in my opinion, sowing seeds. I know, I've seen it over the last month loads of people sowing seed. But if you're to look at Ireland as a good example, I don't know who in their right mind would sow a seed in the last month, given what has been happening in the country.

Speaker 1: 0:48

And you know, when we went to air last week, we were in the you know live on friday with last week's episode, it was, um, right in the middle of storm own and there was a lot of unknown and I I sort of hoped that everybody would get through okay in terms of, you know, polytunnels and so on, and that has not been the case. To be honest with you, it has been shocking what has happened across the whole country and seen the devastation in so many of the gardening groups and polytunnel's gone, and I suppose that's really bad. You know, if you have a polytunnel, you've put your heart and soul into it or you're excited to get going. It gets flattened in the last couple of weeks if, if it has just lost a polytunnel, which has just lost its its skin, I guess, or the the cover on it, you know that's a nuisance but it's not so bad, it can get recovered and it can get covered quite quickly and you'll still be up and running. But if you have, you know, frames damaged, badly, damaged, beyond repair, which a lot of people have, that's very, very frustrating. And as frustrating as it is for us home gardeners, for people who don't depend on it from a livelihood just think of the the quite a lot of you know market gardeners and vegetable growers who have had, you know, complete wipeouts of some of their growing structures, and that's really really difficult at this stage of the year. So I suppose just to acknowledge that, from my point of view, thankfully on friday we had next to no damage. It was quite, quite strong, but we didn't have damage. We were without power for the guts of a day which, in the grand scheme of things, compared, compared to other parts of the country, we certainly got away lightly and and we're thankful for that, that's the one thing about being so far inland and where I am, we're quite exposed for certain winds, but that wind last week we definitely avoided the very, very worst of it.

Speaker 1: 3:02

I know that many people on the western coast of Ireland have got severe damage and so, just if you have it's still early, people on the, you know, the western coast of ireland have got, you know, severe damage and so just if you have it's uh, it's still early, so hopefully you can, you can, you can get things up and running again, which are, which are greenhouses, but it is a it's a. It's a tough blow to take at this stage of the year and, as I say, bear in mind those growers who are depending on it for their livelihoods, as much as it's a nuisance for us gardeners when you're depending on it for a livelihood. And those guys need our support over the coming months, you know, in terms of binder produce and helping them to get up and running and supporting them over the coming months, because we need those producers around the country for sure. So, as I say, the the damage across the country has been quite severe and it has probably set people back. Having said that there's lots of people across the country who have got away and we're, you know, I'm one of those and I'm very thankful for that. I'm sure it won't always be that lucky, but on this occasion, yeah, it's, it's, I feel, lucky that we didn't get the brunt of of that storm. So I suppose, looking at that, um, it's this time of the year again.

Speaker 1: 4:11

So, as I said that, this episode goes out on the last last day of january and it's been a horrible month in terms of weather here. We'd, you know, pretty much around here, with a week of snow and again, I know other areas didn't have that. So you know it's it swings and roundabouts, but the damage done by the storm over the weekend unbelievable rain. This week we've had some days of just torrential rain non-stop and, yeah, quite a bit of flooding around here and things like that. So it has been a weather-wise it's been a horrible month. But it is a winter month and I never really mind getting too much bad weather at that stage, so long as when we're supposed to kind of get normal spring weather, normal some weather, summer weather, that we do get that. So fingers crossed for that.

Speaker 1: 4:54

But as we, as we exit January. It's now really is the time where we can actually start thinking about and and properly get going that sowing seed. I always say and I know anyone that listens the whole time was probably sick of me saying this but uh, when, when to start sowing is it's um, it's not a set defined date, it's more of a let's sense and see when. When feels right, and when feels right is typically when you know the temperatures come up, there's a sense of spring in the air. You can always almost feel it, almost sense it. Nature starts to wake up and then that's a good indicator to you that it's good time to get sown seed.

Speaker 1: 5:36

Having said all that, regardless of what's happening on that front, there is some seeds that we do need to get going this month and some that I will certainly be sowing. So, from from that point of view, I'm going to go through a list. I'll just mention the list, but there's there's quite a bit on it. You don't have to sow everything. You can pick and choose what suits you, but there's certainly some of them that I'll be at this month, and quite a few of them I'll be at, but I typically won't be starting until you know, as we enter the second week.

Speaker 1: 6:07

It's from it's from there to the end of the month that you really start to see the stretch in the days in terms of daylight, and that's a huge indicator and a huge help in terms of sowing seed. Seed sown prior to that, it's very hard to get enough daylight to to prevent them, them from being leggy. And then, when you see the last week, you know where we've had such grey days, wet days. What ends up happening is there's so little sunlight and then the grey days are really drawing out seedlings, and then, of course, you have to mine them all the way up along as well. So I will be sowing, but it's going to be kind of, you know, mid month, after the second week, that kind of time frame. That's when I'll, when I'll get going, but to give you an idea of what we can sew this month, to talk about flowers and vegetables, so in terms of, in terms of the veg garden, first spring onions this, you know, can get back at these now and we're going to be sewingowing these quite regularly. So initially I'm sowing these in module trays and multi-sowing them several seeds into a, an individual module, and then they'll get planted out. For me they'll get planted out into the, into the polytunnel, as soon as they're ready, which will be in a few weeks time.

Speaker 1: 7:17

I'm also sowing early varieties of cabbage, early varieties of calabrese. I'm definitely not going to grow as much calabrese this year, it's just. I find it just. It's lovely at the start of the year, get some into the polytunnel, get a crop early, but I just find that in general they're a they're a crop that takes up too much space for the, for the return on them, to be honest with you. Cauliflower um, again, I would be sowing early this month onions. I've quite a lot to sow. I have a good few sets going well in the tunnel they're actually flying at the moment, so happy with those. But some, some onions from seed to sort of fill that gap and I'm pretty confident this year that I'm going to get quite close to, quite close to having onions for 12 months. I think I'll probably run out sometime in April and then should be able to harvest out the tunnel in May. So yeah, it's looking, looking good to be getting close to a 12 a 12 month harvest of my own onions. So that's good.

Speaker 1: 8:14

Spinach I'll sow this month again. Look, I'll probably stick with a winter hardy variety just at the moment. And then leeks, I will sow broad beans I haven't sowed yet. Sometimes you can sow them, well, not sometimes. It's good to sow them in the autumn time. But I haven't done that yet, so I will sow them now this month.

Speaker 1: 8:30

Radish, again into the polytunnel. Probably sow that, not probably. I will sow that directly into the polytunnel and go to sow some white turnip, Milan purple top turnip, and I will sow lettuce as well. So I'm going to do a couple of varieties of lettuce and I get them in in february as well, again most of these late in the month. I'm going to sow some beetroot direct sown into the ground. I'm going to some carrots directly sown into the ground in the polytunnel, both of those into the polytunnel. I'd probably do another little sowing of winter salads, still harvesting away on some of those out there polytunnel. I'd probably do another little sewing of winter salads, still harvesting away on on some of those out there rocket. I'm still harvesting away on way on a couple of the herbs.

Speaker 1: 9:09

Something has eaten my parsley. Um, it looks like somebody has come and just basically pulled all the leaves off the plant and anybody that could potentially do that says they didn't, so I don't know, but it looks like somebody has fleeced it now. I know emmy does go out there and she does create homes for bugs and sometimes she needs leaves to go in there. So maybe that's the that's where she'll be looking. But essentially she's just wiped them out and left nothing but stock. So I need to get sowing herbs. So I'll sow coriander, dill, parsley and some of those at this stage. I'll also sow the kind of one sowing of chard that I'll do for the next. While that's, I'll do that now.

Speaker 1: 9:55

So probably four or five plants again, still harvesting off the ones that went into polytunnel towards the end of last year and they're welcome greens all all over the winter gonna sow peppers and chilies again. They'll be on heat now. So peppers and chilies sown on heat, they just need a long season and I need to get them going now as well. So have some new chili peppers and some pepper seed from last year, sweet bell peppers from from last year they're all going to get sown in the coming weeks again that'll be on heat, and tomatoes, again sown on heat, and that'll be sown in the next, in the next kind of week, about two weeks maybe, and I've got some nice interesting varieties there.

Speaker 1: 10:38

I'm looking to get the cherry tomato, clementine um, haven't been able to access it yet, but I will get it in the coming weeks and that's one that I want to try. I've seen some people with getting huge crops from that, so I want to try that one as well and that's kind of that's kind of the. You know the list of what will be sown, so just to shoot over it again, looking at spring onion, cabbage, calabrese, cauliflower onion, spinach, leeks, broad beans, radish, turnip, lettuce, beetroot, winter salads, some of the herbs, chard peppers and chili on heat, and tomatoes on heat and beetroot and carrots directly into the ground in the tunnel as well. I'll obviously get some potatoes into, depending on how the temperature is going into the polytunnel as well. Early varieties, uh, this month, and maybe a salad variety, charlotte, if I can get it as well, and that'll be, yeah, all, all hopefully in the month of february and then, as we get into march fingers crossed the weather will be starting to. You'll get a good bit warmer, we'll have a lot longer days and then we'll be able to really, really kick off at that stage. So that's kind of the veg, the veg sowing list, uh, for any of you that want the comprehensive list month by month, available on the grow your own food course, the link of that is in the bio, uh, or in the show notes of this episode and some flower seeds that we can sow as well. So there's again a few of these that I'll be getting going with. So conangeles will be getting going with some pansies, sweet peas, uh.

Speaker 1: 12:11

Cosmos you can sew this month, but I actually won't be sewing it this month. It just it's too far away from when I can get it outside begun a bit leggy. So if it, if I do so at this month, it'll be at the very end, but more than likely into march, before I'll actually sew my cosmos. Um, there's a bit of minding on them then to get leggy here you need to pinch them out quite regularly and, as I say, I can't really get them out in the ground here until at least the middle, may probably possibly a bit later. So there's no great benefit in me getting them in, sowing them just yet, so I'll leave it for another few weeks. There's a good few perennial seeds that you can actually sow as well, and so I have a lot of perennial seed. I have a few beds that are getting revamped at the moment and they they're going to need some of those, so I'll get sewing those this month as well. Um, I didn't do any perennial sewn at the back end in the autumn time, which is the time that I recommend, as you know, but I didn't actually get get any sword at that stage. So I'll do them here in the springtime and they'll be perfectly fine. Won't get much flower this year, but they'll be still getting stronger and they'll be good plants going going into next year. So, yeah, that's, that's the.

Speaker 1: 13:17

The seed sowing list for february and people seem to like these episodes gives them the little prompt. I know that I've done one, you know the same episode last year and you know, potentially people are are sick of hearing the same thing, but I do think it gives people just a little prompt, a little idea of what, what to be at this month and don't panic is the is the big thing, the big message. I saw in one of the gardening groups. Somebody recommended listening to the podcast to get an idea of what to sew in each individual month and the person the person asked what to sew in january and whoever answered said listen to master my garden podcast, but he's probably going to recommend not to sew anything in january. And person asked what to sow in January and whoever answered said listen to Master my Garden podcast, but he's probably going to recommend not to sow anything in January and to hold off for a few weeks. And that is the message in in from from myself.

Speaker 1: 14:05

Having said that, as I say the whole time, you know probably better your own area. So if you're in an area that's considerably warmer, considerably area earlier than than where I am, then by all means get to know your area and and have a go at it. But from now on, so seed sowing will, will start here, for for me, and but it is a it is a case of still proceed quite gently, quite cautiously, and wait for spring to tell you when and nature to tell you when it's time to get going. So that's, uh, that's the, the seed sowing list for february. Quite short, quite, uh, quite a short episode, I guess, other things that you can do. And there's still loads of time for bare roots, all the different bare roots. Still lots of time for fruit bushes, fruit trees and that sort of thing. So hedging, there's still loads of time for, in fact, the ground is quite wet now for for bare roots. So the, you know, towards the end of february and into march is going to be really, really important. You know, if you can get the drunk, the ground to dry up, that window is going to be quite important because in general, the bare root season has been quite slow and sluggish because of weather and it probably means there's a good bit to be planted between now and the end of it and end of the window.

Speaker 1: 15:20

Um, the other thing that's noticeable actually talking to people over the last couple of days, talking to a couple of different groups of people, and a lot of people seem to be getting really huge amounts of damage from deers and I know we are having there's a kind of an overpopulation of them at the moment. The extent of that I'm not that overly sure on because we don't actually tend to see too many of them around here, but there is a huge overpopulation in certain areas and I know a lot of people are getting damage on fruit trees, on new trees, on new plantations that they've done. So, yeah, that seems to be a big problem. So you want to be getting protecting. You know there is tree shelters that you can get, tree protectors that you can get. So if you are in an area that's potentially vulnerable to them, you definitely need to be protecting them now, because there does seem to be, in certain areas, an overpopulation of them.

Speaker 1: 16:12

On in the garden here, something that I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but on around christmas time, for the very first time ever, I've seen um woodpeckers here in the garden. My friend a couple years ago saw one about two or three miles, two or three, three or four kilometers away, and I'd never seen one here around here in this area, in the garden or anything like it. And then one day I looked out at the bird feeder recently and there was a woodpecker on it. Now it was a fleeting visit that lasted a couple of minutes and I was extremely excited by this. I know it's uh that this is the small things, as I said last week, that that kind of excite me, but that that's something that, um, I was very excited about. And then that was a christmas time or something just a little bit before christmas, but since then I'm delighted to say that he's come back, or he or she, I'm not sure which it is, but they have come back, uh, three, four times to the feeder now and they seem to be staying a little while when they're there.

Speaker 1: 17:12

Whether so they're beautiful bird, obviously, um, and really nice to see them. I'm not that sure their habits are anything yet, because it's so new here for me, haven't done any real looking into it yet but definitely seems to be kind of coming on a regular basis, which is good and I'm delighted to see it. Interestingly enough, the minute he comes, or he or she comes, the rest of the birds disappear, which is interesting. I don't know whether it's a case of they actually don't know what this sort of a bird does either, because they haven't seen them before, but certainly for for us here it's kind of exciting to see, to see a woodpecker finally here. I know they've, you know, been spreading across the country over the years and I've heard reports that I'm kind of not that far away from here but you know, like 10, 15 kilometers away, but I've never seen them up here. So really delighted with that and hopefully, fingers crossed, he keeps coming.

Speaker 1: 18:04

So yeah, um, the joys of the joys of nature, and that's actually something that we'll be talking about quite a bit in next week's episode, quite an exciting episode coming up next week and it is all to do with, um, I suppose, nature and and that. So, yeah, next week's episode should be a good one. So that's been this week's episode. Looking forward to hearing and seeing how you're getting on with your seed sowing. Proceed with caution, but get going at some stage this month. And yeah, here we go um, every month from now until september, october we'll be we'll be sowing seeds and getting ready to produce flowers and crops. So, yeah, that's been this week's episode. Thanks for listening and until the next time, happy gardening, thank you.