What to Sow and Grow in February
As we celebrate the arrival of Imbolc and St. Brigid’s Day this February, there’s a growing sense of renewal in the air. These time-honoured traditions mark the halfway point between winter and spring, and in the garden, they signal the first stirrings of new life. Imbolc, the festival of light and purification, reminds us that the dark days are behind us, and we are now heading towards longer, brighter days.
The first signs of spring are already starting to show at Fat Tomato — the soil is beginning to warm up with the longer days, sweet cicely and rhubarb shoots are emerging from the ground, and the colourful promise of tulips and daffodils is just around the corner. With the evenings growing longer, we can now enjoy that precious extra half hour in the garden, soaking up the mild sunshine and watching as new life begins to unfold.
February is the month when the garden starts to feel alive again. Whether you’re sowing seeds indoors or beginning to prepare your outdoor beds for the season ahead, it is the perfect time to embrace the fresh energy of spring and get your hands in the soil. We still have a few chores to do from our December and January lists and are prioritising to clear these before we get into a frenzy of sowing seeds - March and April are the perfect months for that.
Here’s our list for February:
Peas and Broad Beans: We have sown a few already, but you can always plant another few. If you haven’t sowed some yet, pop a few into pots and watch them grow. You will not regret it when May comes around. Peas and beans thrive in the cool weather of February. Just make sure you get some early pea varieties like Fill the Bucket and Irish Green.
Onions: Plant organic onion seeds. They are so easy to grow from seed and produce bigger, more flavourful onions compared to ones from sets. Just sprinkle a few seeds in each module tray and watch them grow. When planting out, you do not have to separate them if you do not want to. They’ll be ready to harvest in late summer.
Early Potatoes: Begin chitting seed potatoes indoors or in your polytunnel/glasshouse. When ready, plant them in pots or containers for an early harvest. We plant a few in big pots, placing the chitted potatoes at the bottom, covering them with a layer of compost as the leaves grow up, and leaving them in the polytunnel until April. If we are lucky, we might have some for Easter!
Herbs: Start parsley, thyme, and basil indoors. They’ll grow quickly and be ready to use as the weather warms.
Chillies and Aubergines: As they take so much time to grow and produce fruit, we start sowing them now and place them in a warm place with lots of natural light. Make sure the soil is always moist but not saturated, as the seeds will rot.
Sweet Peas: Sow sweet peas indoors for an early, fragrant spring display.
Winter Greens: Kale, spinach, and Swiss chard will continue growing through February. Harvest when needed for fresh winter greens. If you have lots, wash and chop them, wilt them, and freeze them. They are delicious added to stews and curries.
Root Crops: Carrots, parsnips, Jerusalem artichokes, and celeriac can still be harvested. The cold weather enhances their sweetness. We usually take them out of the ground now, as they will start to sprout when the soil warms up.
Rhubarb: Rhubarb shoots are emerging! If you’re forcing rhubarb, cover crowns with pots for an early spring harvest.
Clean and Sharpen Tools: Now’s the time to clean and sharpen your gardening tools so they’re ready for the growing season. We use linseed oil.
Mulch Garden Beds: It is still time to apply a layer of mulch to protect the soil and retain moisture.
Prune Fruit Trees: Prune apple and pear trees before spring growth begins. Avoid pruning stone fruits like peaches and plums until the summer. We will be pruning right into March, as we have lots of fruit trees!
Prepare for Spring: With longer evenings, spend a little extra time in the garden tidying up, clearing debris, and preparing for sowing. We use this time to start making changes to the garden, digging up plants and moving them around.
Shop for Heritage Seeds: If you have not done so yet, take stock of what you have and buy some new varieties from Irish seed producers like Irish Seed Savers and Brown Envelope Seeds. Check out our online shop for over 40 varieties of chemical-free seeds that we gather from our garden online shop every year.
