"....a February face, So full of frost, of storm and cloudiness?"
~William Shakespeare, Much Ado about Nothing
What seeds to sow in February?
Eager to begin sowing, I watch the long term weather forecasts avidly and gaze out of the window at the clouds scurrying by. the birds tossed about on the wind. My soil is too cold and wet to start anything outside. I shall sow some broad beans and sweet peas in pots (or root trainers for the peas) recycled from last year washed and scrubbed clean. Left outside in a sheltered place, protected from hungry mice then the young plants will be ready for transplanting when the soil warms up.
Indoors I shall have to restrain myself and admit that without a greenhouse or polytunnel I have limited space to grow any seedlings on. All young plants need adequate warmth and light once germinated. However I have a small automatic electric propagator which holds a 1/2 seed tray and 6 pots at optimum temperature. I am sowing 4 varieties of chilli and 2 of thyme in the pots and antirrhinum (snapdragon) seeds for my daughter. Once these have germinated I shall move them onto a heated mat under a grow light, readying the propagator for the next selection.
(NB. The largest one we stock Garland Four Top Automatic Temperature Controlled Electric Propagator is a Which best buy this month!)
Of course you may have lots more space than me and there is a wide selection of seeds to sow now inside, vegetables, flowers and herbs.
Popular to sow now indoors are chillies, cauliflower (summer types Dexter or Chambord), calabrese (broccoli), cabbages, kale and artichokes. Flowers include cosmos, cobaea and salvias together with the hanging basket, container and bedding varieties of impatiens and nicotiana, petunias, begonias, geraniums, lobelia and bacopa. Not forgetting herbs too such as basil, chervil, parsley and coriander.
For me: patience