For many Floridians, Valentine’s Day signals the beginning of the Spring gardening season. The days are starting to feel a littler warmer and the nights don’t seem to be as cold. These are perfect conditions for planting seeds.
To help seeds get off to a healthy start and to protect small seedlings from pests and harsh weather conditions, consider starting seeds in small pots or trays that are easily protected. Seeds can be started indoors in a bright, sunny window or they can be put outside during the day and brought in at night.
There’s a wide variety of vegetables that can be started this month. But, where do you start? It’s best to choose vegetables that you and your family enjoy and those vegetables that you seem to purchase regularly at the supermarket or produce stand.
Also, when planning your Spring garden, think about where you will plant the mature plants. Some vegetables can be grown in containers, some will need lots of ground space in which to spread out, and other will need vertical support.
Container friendly vegetables
If you live in an apartment or have a small space in which to garden, you can grow quite a few vegetables in pots. Pots should be 5-gallon size or larger.
Some easy to grow space saving and potted vegetables that can be started in February include peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, carrots, radishes, celery, lettuce, collards, mustard greens, bunching onions, leeks, kohlrabi, parsley, and the bush varieties of cucumbers, beans, and squash.
Ground loving vegetables
Some vegetables love to spread their vines along the ground. These vegetables require a lot of garden space. Vegetables that can be started this month include cantaloupe, cucumbers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, summer squash, winter squash, watermelon, and pumpkins.
Squash and melon vines will need six to eight feet from the base of the plant to the end of the vine. Potatoes and sweet potatoes will not need as much horizontal space, but do require deep, fertile soil.
If you want to grow potatoes and sweet potatoes in containers, you will need a large and deep pot or you can use 33 gallon trash bags. The potato seeds are planted in the bottom of the pot or bag and covered with a small amount of soil. As the potato vines grow, more soil is added to cover all but the ends of the vines.
Vegetables that go vertical
The larger upright vegetables require some type of support to keep the plants upright. Vertical vegetables that can be planted in February include pole beans, lima beans, and sweet corn.
It is recommended that sweet corn seeds be planted directly in the ground. Young corn plants do not transplant easily.
For more tips on what to do in your garden in February, check out the Pinellas County Extension Office Florida gardening calendar. Have fun planning your Spring garden!
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