February in the Scottish Garden

The first sowings begin. On a warm windowsill, not in cold ground.

The month ahead

February is often the frostiest month of the Scottish year, and the temptation is to treat it like January and keep waiting. Do not. The light is returning fast now, and while the ground outside is still cold and wet, a warm windowsill indoors is a legitimate growing space. This is the month the season actually starts, not with a spade in the ground, but with a seed tray on the kitchen table.

Start your onions and leeks from seed under cover now. Sow tomatoes and chillies; they need the longest possible season in Scotland, and a February start under warmth gives them the head start that makes the difference between a crop that ripens and one that is still green in September. Chit your seed potatoes: stand them in egg boxes in a cool, light, frost-free place with the eyes facing up. Earlies first.

What to do in February

Fruit & ornamentals

Prune autumn-fruiting raspberries right down to the ground. They fruit on this year's canes, so cutting the old ones out now clears the way. Summer raspberries are different. Leave those alone; they fruit on last year's growth and you would be cutting off your crop. Prune winter-flowering shrubs once the flowers fade, and cut back deciduous ornamental grasses. If you left perennials standing over winter for wildlife, now is the time to cut them back. Divide snowdrops while still in leaf; planting in the green is the most reliable way to establish them.

Under cover

Warm patches of soil with cloches or fleece now, even though you will not sow into them for weeks. The point is to raise the soil temperature so that when you do sow, germination is faster. A sheet of black plastic pegged down for a fortnight works wonders. Prepare vegetable seed beds on any day the ground is workable. If your soil is heavy clay, stay off it; dig from the path or use a board to spread your weight.

Key jobs in February

• Chit seed potatoes in a cool, light, frost-free place; earlies first.
• Start onions, leeks and early brassicas from seed under cover with warmth.
• Sow tomatoes and chillies indoors; they need a long season in Scotland.
• Prune autumn-fruiting raspberries to the ground while still dormant.
• Prune winter-flowering shrubs once the flowers fade.
• Cut back deciduous ornamental grasses to let new growth through.
• Warm patches of soil with cloches or fleece for the earliest outdoor sowings.
• Prepare vegetable seed beds as soon as the ground is workable.
• Divide snowdrops and plant bulbs in the green for early spring colour.
• Net fruit and brassica crops to keep hungry pigeons off.

The Scottish picture this month

Often the frostiest month of all inland, but light is returning. Enough to start heat-loving crops under cover with warmth and, ideally, a grow light. Outdoor soil is still cold and wet across most of the country.

Frost: Still firmly inside the frost season everywhere: do not be tempted outdoors early by a mild week.

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