February 2025 Edible Garden Planner

Daffodils blooming in February

Sunday, February 2, 2025

With the days lengthening, plants know that spring is just around the corner.  In our garden, the daffodils have buds, the "Surprise" lilies, irises and daylilies have broke ground, edible greens growing under cover are growing taller, and my apple tree buds are swelling.  Indoors, plants are increasing uptake of water, my New Zealand spinach plant is flowering, all plants are putting on more growth.  It won't be long before the forsythias are in bloom and edible perennials are breaking ground.   

Since the spring bat signal has gone out, now is a great time to test your soil and add amendments so they are fully incorporated when you start planting and to support the rapid growth coming of your edible perennials.  You can buy a kit for testing, take a soil sample to your local extension office or send off a sample for a more rigorous soil analysis.   The next step in garden production and your nutrition-soil minerals...  If you don't want to go to the trouble of a soil test, add a well balanced, organic fertilizer to your garden bed, cover with compost, and top with mulch.

February is prime time to start seeds indoors and sow cold hardy seeds outdoors.  You  can get a jump on garden harvest by starting seeds indoors.  It is easy and a budget friendly option that allows you to get spring and summer harvests sooner and to grow many varieties not available at your neighborhood nursery or big box store.  Besides, it is fun to watch green things grow!

What to plant in the February edible garden  

Below is a calendar of what to start indoors and outdoors during the next month to get a jump on spring and summer harvests.  This is the earliest to start seedlings.  It is fine to start your seeds anytime after this timing as well.  To find your last frost date:  Frost date look up

Indoor seed starting dates (with an April 3 last frost date)

10-12 weeks prior to last frost (mid/end Jan in our Zone 7 garden)

Artichokes  Growing artichokes and cardoons

Arugula  Growing fabulous lettuce and greens

Bay  Start a kitchen herb garden!

Broccoli  How to grow broccoli and cauliflower

Cabbage  Cabbage is nutritious and easy to grow

Catnip

Celery  Give celery a try, an easy to grow garden staple

Chives  Add chives to your garden

Endive 

Escarole

Fennel  Growing fennel

Fenu

Horseradish

Leek, if starting from seed

Lettuce  Everything you need to know about growing lettuce

Mache

Mint

Mizuna

Onions, if starting from seed  Everything to know about growing onions

Parsley  Self-seeding crops, plant once and forget 'em

Peas  Time to plant peas!

Rhubarb

Shallots, if starting from seed  

Strawberries  Back yard strawberries

Summer savory  

Sorrel  Want a vegetable and fruit garden that you only have to plant once? Try perennials!

8-10 weeks prior to last frost (end Jan/early February in our Zone 7 garden)

Bee balm

Celeriac

Eggplant  Eggplant-add this native from India to your garden

Kale  Collards and kale in your garden

Kohlrabi  Kohlrabi-a less well known spring vegetable

Lavender  Using herbs, flowers and fruit for flavored sugars and salts

Lovage

Marjoram

Mustard  Mustard greens

Oregano

Rosemary  Make your own "Herbes de Provence"

Scallions, if starting from seed

Spinach  Grow spinach-a super nutritious, easy green

Thyme

Turnips  All about turnips

For a full seed starting calendar through April, Indoor Seed Starting Calendar

For both seed sowing and outdoor transplant timing for edibles and flowers, Indoor sowing/outdoor planting dates

Outdoor plantings in February  

Asparagus, fruit trees and bushes, garlic, grapes, shallots, spinach and peas seeds can be planted in the garden as soon as the soil can be worked.  Outdoor seed sowing seed starting times  If gardening in mulched flower beds, I clear a small slit in the mulch and then sow the seeds and cover with potting soil.  Most seedlings are not quite strong enough to break through mulch.  As soon as they are fairly sturdy, I bring the mulch back in around the plants.

Seedlings in Aerogarden seed starting system

Seed Starting Tips

What are the tricks to successful indoor seed starting?  The most surefire I have found with a gadget is the Aerogarden with the seed starting tray.  I have almost 100% germination rate with it.

When starting in coir/peat pots, the key is using sterile seed starting mix, pots and containers.  You can make your own seed starting mix with peat moss or coir (renewable), compost, and vermiculite.  Just be sure to heat the compost to at least 150 degrees for 20 minutes to kill any pathogens before using to start seeds.

After filling the pots with sterile seed starting mix, plant the seeds at the recommended depth and water at the bottom (watering from the top can dislodge seeds).  After the mix has absorbed the water, the pots are ready to put in a catch pan.  Make sure any catch pan that you use has been thoroughly washed in a bleach solution so all pathogens are killed.  You want the soil mix moist and not sopping wet.

This year, I started my onion seeds in biodegradable peat and coir pots under grow lights in the basement.  Keep soil moist, but not wet, with the heating pad on during the day and off at night if using until seedling emerges.  You can use a spray bottle to spritz the soil to keep it moist.  Once seedling emerges, remove the heating pad.  If you don't have a grow light, place the tray in a south facing window for the best light.  I will use a heating mat when I start the summer lovers.

Indoor seed starting how to and tips

Ideal soil temperatures for starting your seeds

Make your own peat pots

Make sure you label your seedlings as soon as you plant them; you may think you will remember 2 months from now what was where, but likely not.  I put the plant marker in the coir pot with the name on it when I planted the seed.  You can also keep a piece of paper under the seed starter that has captured for each cell what is planted in the cell.  

Your seedling’s first leaves are not “true” leaves; think of them as baby teeth.  The second sets of leaves are their true leaves.  They are ready to be hardened off when they have their first set of true leaves.  Seedlings must be hardened and not just thrown outside.  You take them out a little at a time, gradually increasing their exposure to sun and cold, only during the daytime.  I try and plant when there is a warm spell with clouds forecasted to minimize the shock.

There are great selections of herbs and veggies at nurseries and big box stores nowadays so you have many options just waiting until spring is officially here and picking up what looks good at your nearby store in a couple of months.  This is also a great back up if your first seed starting adventure goes a little awry...........

If you are putting in new garden beds as we are this year, here are some tips.  Put in a new garden bed the easy way-really  

I put together my 2025 garden plan early last month.  I'll continue to have my edibles in the flower beds and to also combine flowers with edibles in pots.  Since our addition work and landscaping is complete, we put in our south facing bed in the fall so I will have a lot more seeds to start and potentially plants to buy this year.  For that bed, I have a planting plan for the perennial "bones" of the bed that I'll plant edibles around.  I plan on having deer and vole repelling plants around the perimeter, then an interplanting of flowers, herbs and annual edibles.  Battle of the voles  Quick tip-how I keep the deer away  I'll also have tall perennial edibles like asparagus and artichokes at the back of the bed.

My 2025 Edible Garden Plan

Surprising veggies that can be grown in pots  

Veggies for small spaces

  Here is what I definitely have in my garden every year or make sure I still have enough in the freezer to last another year:  herbs, chives, onions, spinach, lettuce as well as summer greens for salads, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, summer and winter squash, green beans, snow peas and lots of flowers!

For different garden ideas, here are a few to choose from:   Heirloom Sicilian kitchen garden, Small space French kitchen garden, Start a kitchen herb garden!  Children's edible garden  Colonial Vegetable Garden

For first time or busy gardeners, Easy kitchen garden 

Hang on, Spring is almost here!

What seeds to start indoors now (9 weeks before last frost)

Starting seeds in peat pods and Aerogarden

Saturday, February 1, 2025

There are several varieties of herbs, veggies and flowers that can be started this week indoors.  Many are the same that you could have started last week.  Planting another round will extend the harvest.  For our zone 7 garden, here are the ones you can sow indoors.  

Herbs 

*Leeks

*Sage

Veggies

*Corn salad (mache)

*Peas

*Spinach

*Cabbage

*Collards

*Kale

*Kohlrabi

*Mustard

*Lettuce

Flowers and Ornamentals

*Chinese lantern

*Verbena

*Drumstick flower

*Datura

*Blanket flower

*Helianthus maximillianii

*Hollyhock

*Lupine

*Petunia

*Prince's feather

*Black-eyed Susan

*Salvia

*Snapdragon

*Stock

*Yarrow

*Forget-Me-Not

*Hibiscus

*Impatiens

For indoor seed starting how-to and tips:  Indoor seed starting how to and tips

If you are transplanting seedlings from indoors to outdoors, be sure to harden them to the conditions they will be transplanted to.  If in a greenhouse, cold frame or hot bed, you can take outdoors when temperatures are warm or maybe an unheated garage if the temps are close to the covered location you will be placing them.  "Hardening off" seedlings 

Most of the veggies and herbs listed are cool season producers.  For more on cool season gardening, see A spring edible garden. 

Seeds to start indoors this week (10 weeks before last frost)

Starting seeds in peat pods and Aerogarden

Sunday, January 26, 2025

There are several varieties of herbs, veggies and flowers that can be started this week indoors.  For our zone 7 garden, here are the ones to get started.  

Herbs 

*Parsley

*Leeks

*Celery & celeriac

*Sage

Veggies

*Corn salad (mache)

*Peas

*Spinach

*Cabbage

*Collards

*Kale

*Kohlrabi

*Mustard

Flowers and Ornamentals

*Lisianthus

*Milkweed

*Chinese lantern

*Foxglove

*Verbena

*Drumstick flower

*Datura

*Blanket flower

*Helianthus maximillianii

*Hollyhock

*Lupine

*Petunia

*Prince's feather

*Black-eyed Susan

*Salvia

*Snapdragon

*Stock

*Yarrow

For indoor seed starting how-to and tips:  Indoor seed starting how to and tips

If you are transplanting seedlings from indoors to outdoors, be sure to harden them to the conditions they will be transplanted to.  If in a greenhouse, cold frame or hot bed, you can take outdoors when temperatures are warm or maybe an unheated garage if the temps are close to the covered location you will be placing them.  "Hardening off" seedlings 

Most of the veggies and herbs listed are cool season producers.  For more on cool season gardening, see A spring edible garden.

Indoor seed starting how to and tips

Hydroponic indoor seed starting

Saturday, January 25, 2025

Are there tricks to successful seed starting?  What's the most successful way to start seeds?  

The most sure fire I have found in germinating seeds is with a gadget called Aerogarden with the seed starting tray that has room for 72 seedlings at a time.  I have almost 100% germination rate with it.  I also start many seeds in the basic seed starting kits you get from the big box stores with good luck.  It took some time to figure out how to have success with these kits.  Here is what I have learned.

With the Aerogarden hydroponic seed starting system, I don't even have to worry about using a heating pad for the warm season crops.   It is easy to take the seedlings and just plant into larger pot or directly into the garden when they are the right size for transplanting.  There are a couple of  drawbacks with this system-the unit is pricey and the plugs you need to buy each year are about twice the cost of peat pods.  Also the seedlings can get crowded and leggy. 

For other seed starting approaches, I have had the best success using a heat mat and grow light that I leave on during the day and turn both off at night.  Many cool season loving plant seeds won't even germinate at the high temperatures the heat mat provides.  By turning off the heat mat at night, it gives the cool season crops the temperatures they need to germinate.  The warm temperatures during the day give the summer lovers the higher temperatures they need to germinate.  The best of both worlds!

Another key learning I had was that you don't want your seed starting medium to be too wet.    You want the medium to be moist.  Sopping wet soil can cause the seed to mold instead of germinate.

This year, I have already started onion seeds it peat pots with seed starting mix and will likely do a combination of Aerogarden for the smaller warm season seedlings and harder to germinate types and peat pods for the larger seedlings.

Here are some ideas on making your own seed starting pots  Make your own peat pots  

For any system, you need to make sure everything you use is sterilized.  I have an older Aerogarden seed starting system.  It has a styrofoam seed starting tray.  Even using a bleach solution did not remove the mold.  Last year, I put the tray in the summer sun and that removed all the mold stains.

Seed starting steps

The key is starting with sterile seed starting mix, pots, containers and trays.  For the trays and containers, sterilize with alcohol or bleach solution.  You can make your own seed starting mix with peat moss or coir (renewable), compost, and vermiculite.  Just be sure to heat the compost to at least 150 degrees to kill any pathogens before using to start seeds.

Place the seeds in the starter mix in the pots after wetting the soil or coir thoroughly from the bottom (watering from the top can dislodge seeds).  Make sure to eliminate any air pockets in the soil before planting.  You can lightly press down on the soil with your finger or water overhead before planting the seed.  You don't want your soil mix to be completely wet, but nice and damp.  Seeds need oxygen to germinate.  Waterlogged soil can result in moldy seeds instead of seedlings.

After fully moist, you are ready to put them in a catch pan.  Make sure any catch pan that you use has been thoroughly sprayed with alcohol or washed in a bleach solution so all pathogens are killed.  Rinse well after sterilizing and before using for seedlings.  I use restaurant style baking sheets.  They hold many seedlings and are super sturdy.

Make sure you label your seedlings as soon as you plant them; you may think you will remember 2 months from now what was where, but likely not!  Now is also a great time to start keeping a gardening journal.  Start tracking what you planted when so you can review next year what worked well to repeat and what didn’t work so well to tweak.

Keep a garden diary

I put my seed starts in a tray in a sunny window or under LED grow lights.  Using two T8 fluorescent bulbs or grow light bulbs for 16 hours per day should provide enough light to grow sturdy seedlings.  

Keep moist, but not wet, until seedling emerges.  Water from the bottom so as not to disturb the seed/seedling.  Pour off any standing water to discourage fungal disease.  You can use a spray bottle to keep the seedling and soil damp as well to avoid overwatering or dislodging the seeds.  

Peat pods and Aerogarden on heating mat

Use bottom heat during the day to encourage speedy germination (turn off at night).  As soon as the seedlings have sprouted, discontinue the heat.  Additional heat helps speed germination and reduce the chance of mold or fungal disease.  By only using heat during the day and discontinuing heat after emerging, that has eliminated the dampening off of my seedlings.

Once your seedlings have sprouted, gently run your hand over them once a day.  This encourages the stem to strengthen.  I tried this for the first time last year after hearing from an Extension Agent and Master Gardener that she had done studies using this technique.  I did see a difference in stem strength doing this.

Another option is to use a small fan to blow on your seedlings to strengthen their stems to make transplanting safer.

Whatever you do, handle the seedling by its leaves and not its stem.  This reduces the risk that you will bend over, break or crush the stem which kills the seedling.

Once the seedling is up and going, spacing them a couple of inches apart helps the plants to grow sturdy stems instead of spindly.  When crowded, the seedlings race to get to the light.  If they are still leggy, it is likely insufficient light.  Make sure you are keeping your artificial light as close to the seedlings as possible (about 2" from the seedlings).  

Don't be too worried if you have leggy seedlings.  Once hardened off outdoors, they will strengthen up very quickly.  You just have to be extra careful in handling them as their stems will be very fragile.  The best time to transplant is when recommended on the seed packet and when the seedling has nice roots that you can see throughout the soil.  Always harden off before planting.  Make sure the soil is moist and the seedling is fertilized when you plant so it has everything it needs to get growing.

"Hardening off" seedlings

Your seedlings will need diluted liquid fertilizer starting 3 weeks after planting.  Using a weak fish emulsion is said to help prevent dampening off.  It should be no greater than half strength as these are tiny plants that don't need as much food as a full size plant.

For larger seeds, and seedlings, I start directly in their garden bed spot or pot at the recommended time on the seed packet.  I always start peas and green beans directly in their garden bed spot or pot.  You can grow bush type cucumbers, squash, watermelon and dwarf tomatoes in large pots, too.  Otherwise larger seedlings like cucumbers, beans, watermelon, cantelope, squash and tomatoes started in a tray or peat pod will need to be transplanted into the garden bed or a larger pot as soon as they have their first set of true leaves.

Germination rates and soil temperatures

Your seedling’s first leaves are not “true” leaves, think of them as baby teeth.  The second set of leaves are their true leaves.  They are ready to be hardened off when they have their first set of true leaves.  Seedlings must be hardened and not just thrown outside.  You take them out a little at a time, gradually increasing their exposure to sun and cold, only during the daytime.  A week or two should be enough to harden them for the great outdoors.  I try and plant when there is a warm spell and there are clouds forecasted to minimize the temperature shock and sun scald.

Be sure to keep them watered after transplanting for a couple of weeks to allow their roots to get a good foothold.

It seems I grow more and more varieties from seeds, from flowers to herbs to fruits and veggies.  There are just so many fun varieties out there that you can only get as a seed!  I also have saved seeds from store bought veggies that I thought were cool and tasted great.

Seed saving-fun, easy and a cost saver

Grow veggies from leftovers

There are great selections of herbs and veggies at nurseries and big box stores nowadays that give you many options, including heirlooms and organically grown.  You can wait until spring is officially here and pick up plants that looks good at your nearby store in a couple of months.  Your local gardening centers will carry what varieties are best suited for your area.  This is also a great back up if your first seed starting adventure goes a little awry........

10 hours of daylight has returned!

Late January edible garden

Friday, January 24, 2025

If you have noticed that plants stop growing in the winter, whether indoors or out, you would be right.  It is not just the temperatures that affect this slow down.  It is also the amount of sunlight.

Basically, plants go dormant when receiving less than 10 hours of daylight during our cold winter temperatures.  For my latitude, this was from November 22-January 19 for this winter season.  You can look on this site to see when your daylight hits 10 hours.  daylight calendar

When planting in the fall for winter crops, you need to plan that they are at full, harvestable size by November 22nd this past fall.  They remain this size until the end of January, when they begin growing again when daylight is back to 10+ hours.  edible winter garden

Growth starts back up now, for indoor and outdoor plants.  The lettuce, chard, sorrel, cabbage, kale, celery, and herbs that have overwintered will start growing with vigor again after this time with clear days and warmer temperatures.  Start your edible spring garden now

You can scatter sow seeds now of cold hardy crops and they will be primed for the longer days.  It is surprising, but not unusual, to see the little greens popping their heads out in February.  It is great time to start your cold hardy crops in cold frames or outdoor greenhouses.  What to plant for the January 2025 edible garden  

End of January is also when you can start indoor seeds for a jump on spring and summer harvests.  Indoor seed starting calendar

The force of life is amazing!

Battle of the voles

Edible and ornamental garden in the backyard

Sunday, January 19, 2024

I live in the country where deer bed down in our front yard at night, moles, voles and rabbits in the yard are common.  I have a strategy that has worked for the deer.  Moles and rabbits haven't been a big issue.  Voles on the other hand are definitely causing issues in my edible garden beds.  Here is what I have learned and my latest plan for deterrence to implement this spring.

Many people confuse vole damage for mole damage.  Voles eat the roots of plants while moles eat grubs.  They both burrow under the ground and create tunnels.  The way to tell the difference is to look for their entry hole.  If there is a mound of dirt around the entry hole, it is a mole.  If it is just a clean hole, it is a vole.  Moles also have big hands to dig their holes.  Voles look more like mice.  

I did lots of reading online for what keeps voles from digging through the edible beds and eating the roots of ornamentals and edibles.  I tried coffee grounds, but without great success.  I also moved my earthboxes that I cover with a portable greenhouse over onto the concrete for the winter this year.  Last winter, they were next to the garden beds in the yard and became a winter paradise for voles, eating most of the greens I had planted in them and keeping toasty.  There were tunnels under the earth boxes and even in the earth boxes.  When I moved some of the pots in the spring, I saw the voles scurry for cover.

It seems like my vole problem got much worse when I had to move my earth boxes onto the ground instead of being on concrete a few years ago when we started an addition on our house.  Hopefully, moving them back to concrete will bring the vole population back into balance and reduce the issue.

I do my edible gardening in my flower beds.  Voles do like mulched beds.  My beds are nice and fluffy as the mulch also attracts earth worms which till up the soil.  Plus as the mulch breaks down, it adds organic matter to our clay soil, making the soil loose.

Voles are supposed to be deterred by blood so I started using blood meal this fall on the garden beds for nitrogen instead of alfalfa meal.  I didn't notice a difference but maybe with continued use, the blood meal will seep down into the ground and be more of a deterrent.

I looked up what plants deter voles and am going to try planting those around the perimeter of my beds in the spring.  Here are the plants that are supposed to repel voles: daffodils, castor beans, alliums (chives, onions, shallots, garlic), fritillaries, snow drops, hyacinths, native camass, lenten roses, salvias (sage), thyme, Jack in the Pulpit, spearmint and trout lily.

I would not plant spearmint in a garden bed as mint is very invasive.  I was planning on planting creeping thyme varieties all around each of my beds.  For next fall, I was going to plant spring bulbs so I'll be sure to have daffodils and hyacinths in the mix.  I'll look up the rest to see where I can integrate them into the plan.

Once thing I know works is gravel.  The only place I do not have voles is in my garden beds that are covered in decorative gravel.  If plant deterrents don't work, I will look at putting a band of decorative gravel around the outside of my beds.  

2025 Edible Gardening Goals

Saturday, January 18, 2025

So I looked back on my 2024 gardening goals to see how I did and what I want to strive for the 2025 gardening season for my edible and decorative garden.

 My 2024 goals were to have a plan, make it beautiful, maximize the production, attract pollinators, try new things and be proactive on pests.  I think I did decent against my goals.  My biggest regrets on last year's garden is my tomato harvest was too large again last year and my plan for the voles was not a great success.

I think the 6 goals are the same I want this year with some tweaks like maximizing production but not over producing.  I start most of my summer veggies from seed so this year, I will donate the tomato plants I don't need to my Master Gardener group for their sale.  Below are my updated goals.

Goal 1:  Have a plan.  I started planning at the end of the season what I needed to plant for the next season so I wouldn't plant too much, a variety that didn't do well, or forgetting a variety that I wanted to try.  I wrote it all down this past fall and put together my 2025 plan so I am good there. My 2025 Edible Garden Plan  What I need to make sure I have a good plan for is the lay out of the new garden beds, the perennials and placement since that is what will provide the color and structure for years to come.  I also want to be sure to have perennials like herbs that are fragrant surrounding the garden bed as deer and vole deterrent.  How to keep the deer away  I have draws out the shape of the bed along with the measurements and started putting them on the lay out to see how many and where they will all go.

Goal 2:  Make it beautiful.  My flower beds are dual purpose, production of edibles, fragrance and decorative.  Many flowers are edible, too.  Flowers that are edible  As I finalize the perennial lay out, I will make sure I have all season color throughout the beds and add in annuals to keep blooms going. I have a list of blue perennial flowers that I will try to start from seed and integrate as my husband loves blue flowers.  I tend to the bright fun colors that are mainly annuals so I can fill in around his perennials.   

Goal 3:  Maximize the production of edibles.  Continue succession planting.  Want continuous harvests? Succession planting!  Be more ruthless in pulling out what is past its prime to make room for the next round/season of edibles.  Continue to learn how to use my new pop up, walk-in greenhouse to garden year round.  Planting schedule for edibles in an unheated portable greenhouse  Continue to try different types of fertilizer to see what works best in my garden.  Continue to do soil testing and work to get pH at the optimum level for edibles, 6.5-7.5.  For my first round of edibles I start from seed, take any extras to our Master Gardeners plant sale.  The next step in garden production and your nutrition-soil minerals

Goal 4:  Attract pollinators.  As I chose the perennials, annuals and edibles, I will keep an eye to how helpful they are in providing food and habitat for pollinators.  All my pots with edibles include flowers.  Decorative container gardening for edibles  I'll be sure to have the water bath and keep the landing spot I added last year for both birds and insects.  I'm planning on adding a bee hive this spring.

Goal 5:  Try new things.  I am always seeing new varieties to try so that is not a hard thing to do.  It's more about improving all aspects of the garden.  I will continue to look for ways to improve productivity and deter pests naturally, like planting Dragon's Radish next to sprouting broccoli to deter caterpillars.  Part of my garden plan will be making sure I have a strongly scented plant about every 6 feet to deter deer.  This can be marigolds or herbs.  I also need to try new things to keep the voles out of my garden beds.  I tried using coffee grounds around the beds to deter them which seems to help some but not enough.  I have switched to using blood meal for nitrogen in the garden beds as voles stay away from blood scent.  I moved my pots of edible greens that I cover with a portable greenhouse to the concrete pad so they can't tunnel up underneath the pots over the winter.  Lastly, I have a list of vole deterring plants that I will be sure to plant all around my beds.

I'm also going to add potatoes, sweet potatoes and onions to this year's garden plan to try to reduce how much of these I buy at the store.  I'm choosing varieties that are good for storage.    

Goal 6:  Be proactive.  I live in the country so no matter how well your garden plan is for deer defense, they are going to get really hungry come spring and again in the fall.  I want to be more proactive this year in keeping my deer deterrents refreshed before they get hungry enough that herbs don't keep them out of the garden.