February Gardening Guide - What To Plant Now For Every Garden Zone

February Garden Guide For All Garden Zones

 Get a printable checklist PDF version of this guide to keep you on track, via email HERE.

Since my last spring frost date is in the 2nd week of February, I along with many other warm climate gardeners, can begin direct sowing seeds for spring crops. If your last spring frost date is in March or later, then wait until your last spring frost date has passed to copy what I am doing in this list. Basically the theme of February is to finish spring garden planting, whether that be direct sowing seeds or planting transplants. 

Day light hours are now increasing and with each passing day, temperatures are rising. This will lead to increased pest pressure so be prepared. At the end of spring (April & May), I tend to see a lot of aphids, stink bugs, shield bugs, worms, and squash bugs. I highly recommend that you plant as many trap crops as possible (nasturtiums, sunflowers, marigolds, fennel, zinnias, kale, blue hubbard squash) to help manage some of the pest issues that are sure to come within the next few months. I always have BT (Bacillus thuringiensi), spinosad, and organic insecticidal soap in stock at home so I am ready. Click on the links to find the same ones I use from Amazon. 

Find out when your last average spring frost date is (www.plantsmaps.com) so you can start direct sowing as early as possible. For many of us, last frost dates land in the month of February and March. My average last frost date in Orlando FL zone 10A is the second week of February. 

Check out the video version of this guide here:

***The below is applicable to all garden zones 8 to 11***

Bush and pole/vine beans - time to direct sow all beans. I love to sow seeds for bush beans underneath my tomato plants. Vining type beans need a trellis to grow on. The taller the trellis, the longer the vines, and the more beans you will harvest. 

View this video to see how I build a very easy trellis HERE.

Check out my How to Grow Green Beans (bush & pole beans) from seed to harvest YouTube video here:

All types of greens - lettuce, tatsoi, spinach, swiss chard, bok choy, arugula, radicchio, endive, mizuna, and mustard greens. You can either direct sow seeds or transplant. I begin direct sowing in October all the way thru February. For me the easiest thing is to direct sow seeds in any bare spots in my garden. I highly recommend that you rake in some blood meal into the soil or sprinkle in some blood meal into the planting hole if your using transplants. Blood meal is a high organic source of nitrogen and it produces the most lush and dark green leafy greens. Try to plant them in a spot that gets bright morning sun with afternoon shade to help these crops last longer. 

Check out my YouTube video on how to grow lettuce and Asian greens from seed:

Mustard Greens, Kale, Napa Cabbage - Use transplants. Choose a spot that gets full morning sun and afternoon shade. This will help them last longer into the summer. 

Check out my how to grow Napa cabbage guide HERE.

Check out my how to grow kale guide HERE.

Carrots - Its time to direct sow seeds for these crops. Sprinkle seeds and gently press them into the soil surface. It is very important that you keep carrot seeds moist at all times for the first 7 days. Carrot seeds will not germinate well if they are not kept moist. My personal favorite cultivars are Kuroda, Cosmic Purple, and Danvers. 

If your in zones +9 - choose heat tolerant cultivars like Kuroda and Cosmic Purple. We are starting to transition from cold temperatures to increasingly warm temperatures. The heat tolerant carrot cultivars will fare much better. Carrots take 4-5 months from seed to harvest if you want to harvest large sized carrots. 

Check out my how to grow carrots from seed to harvest YouTube video guide: 

Corn - It is time to start corn seeds in 72 cell seed trays OR direct sow seeds once your last average frost date has passed. In my opinion, the soil is still too cold to get good germination if direct sown. Therefore, I start them indoors, in 72 cell seed trays. They must be transplanted at the 3 week mark. Be prepared for the corn ear worm. For whatever reason, the worms that attack corn are a little bit tougher than the regular worms that attack the rest of my crops. You can spray with BT or even better, spinosad which has the added benefit of also killing worms on contact. Spray at the first signs of worm damage on the leaves to prevent the worm from making its way into the ear of corn. If they get into the ear of corn, they are protected and spraying will no longer work. They will eat the ear of corn from the inside out.

Find the spinosad and BT from Amazon HERE. 

I have a corn growing guide on my YouTube channel HERE.

Check out my how to grow corn from seed guide for more tips:

Cucumbers / Summer squash / zucchini / tromboncino rampicante / winter squash / Seminole pumpkins- Can direct sow 2-3 seeds per mound as soon as your average last spring frost date has passed. Or start in doors in solo cups right now to get a head start, and transplant them out as soon as the last spring frost date has passed. I sow cucumbers and tromboncino rampicante in a row with a trellis for support. Monitor seedlings for any worm damage. Use BT at the first signs of worm damage to control the population before it gets out of hand. Spray with 1 cup hydrogen peroxide per gallon of water if you see powdery mildew. 

Check out my How to Grow Cucumbers from seed to harvest YouTube video HERE.

Check out my How to Grow Squash and Zucchini From Seed YouTube video tutorial HERE.

All herbs - chamomile, basil, dill, oregano, parsley, cilantro, fennel, thyme, sage, and rosemary. Take advantage of the more temperate weather to either direct sow or transplant all sorts of herbs. Herbs will get damaged or even killed by snow or freezing temperatures. So either plant in containers or pots and bring indoors or have a plan to cover them. Usually, for us southern gardeners, that's just a handful of days in the winter season. Bring them back outside when it's warm again. A lot of herbs are perennial so if you can get them to survive the coldest days of winter, they will continue producing for many months.

Sweet Potatoes - If you plan to grow sweet potatoes from your own slips, now is the time to start growing/rooting slips. It takes 2-3 months for slips to have enough roots to be transplanted. You want to transplant them well after your last frost date has passed. Many instructions say sweet potatoes are ready to harvest in 90 days but I disagree. You can harvest them at 90 days but they will be very small. I like to harvest any where between 150-180 days, when the potatoes are very big. Wait to transplant after your last average spring frost date has passed. 

Radish, Beets, and Turnips - These are very easy to grow from direct sowing seeds. Space radish and beet seeds 4 inches apart, and space turnips 6 inches apart. Many radish cultivars are  ready for harvest  in just 30 days from seed. They make for great companion plants underneath other taller crops. 

Tomatoes, Peppers & Eggplants - The goal with these crops is to harvest everything out before the heat of summer arrives. I highly recommend you transplant only to ensure you will have a long harvest period before summer arrives. If you have not sowed seeds yet, then this is your last chance to hurry up and get some sowed. They will start producing before summer but you will have less harvest time with them. If your just now starting seeds, I recommend cherry, dwarf, micro dwarf, determinate, or early season cultivars that start producing much earlier than indeterminate beefsteak cultivars. Be prepared to cover seedlings if temperatures drop below 45F. Or just wait until your last average frost date has passed. Add organic granular fertilizer, crab meal, blood meal, azomite (rock dust) and/or rock phosphate into the planting holes. These crops really struggle in high heat and excessive rain. They catch a lot of diseases and pests are easily attracted to the stressed out plants during the summer. If you install shade cloth and plant them in raised beds or containers, you might be able to help mitigate the excessive heat/rain issues, and get the plants to survive the summer. Once temperatures cool down at the end of September, plants perk up, start putting on new growth, and flowering again. 

Check out my how to sow tomato seeds guide here: 

Check out my how to grow eggplants guide HERE.

Watermelons, cantaloupes, melons - Either direct sow seeds as soon as your last spring frost has passed, or start them indoors from seed in solo cups with intent to transplant as soon as your last average spring frost has passed. Since my last spring frost date is the second week of February, I'm waiting until then to direct sow seeds. But for some of you with last average spring frost dates in March, it would be wise to start them indoors right now to get a head start on the season. I find that I am more successful growing watermelons and melons during spring time. Once June arrives and we start getting rain every day, melons have a tendency to swell up with all of the excess water and either burst or do not develop good flavor. You could wait to direct sow all of these crops as soon as your last frost date has passed. Just make sure they are in raised beds, containers, or at least hills to help promote better drainage. 

Southern Peas, Black Eyed Peas, Cow Peas, Okra - Direct sow seeds for any of these types of peas as soon as your last average spring frost date has passed. Start seeds for Okra in doors right now to transplant in the future. I like to start them from seed in solo cups. They are ready to transplant once the root systems are large enough to take over the solo cup. 

Luffa, Moringa, and edible gourds (snake bean)  - These crops require a minimum of 6 months in a row of warm temperatures to grow and produce. Get an early start by starting them from seed indoors, in large solo cups. Transplant as soon as your last frost date has passed. I sow the seeds in solo cups and place the cups in a box. Cover the box with plastic wrap, aluminum foil etc... anything that will lock in moisture and heat. Place the entire box over a heat mat. This is basically a mini green house and will drastically help improve germination for these crops. Take the seedlings out of the box once they sprout put under grow lights. If temperatures are above 65F outside, they can start going outside to get direct sun. Just make sure you keep the soil moist. Bring back in doors if temperatures fall below 65F. 

Check out my How to Germinate Luffa Seeds tutorial on YouTube  HERE.

Check out my How to Germinate Moringa Seeds tutorial on YouTube HERE.

Fruit Trees & Plants - It is time to start deciding on what fruiting trees and plants you would like to add to your garden in spring. You can plant dormant fruiting trees now, such as peaches, nectarines, grapes, plums, blackberries, raspberries, and apples. Planting dormant plants now helps their root systems get an early start so they will perk up in spring and put on new growth. Wait until all danger of frost has passed to plant other types of fruiting plants/trees like pineapples, bananas, plantains, Barbados cherry, mangoes, avocados, sour sop, lychees, citrus, and jaboticaba. Make sure you do your research and select varieties that will perform well in your area and are cold hardy down to the lowest temperature received in your garden zone. 

***The below applies to zones 8 and colder only. It is too late to start growing any of these in zones +9***

Brassicas -  Use transplants only. This is a huge family group that includes broccoli, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, cabbages, brussels sprouts, mustard greens, collard greens and much more.  Add fertilizer in the planting hole for any "heading" type brassicas like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. You want to promote as much rapid growth at the beginning as possible. The bigger the plant, leaves, and stem, the bigger the "head" will be at harvest time. 

Check out my YouTube video on how to grow large heads of cauliflower which also applies to broccoli HERE. 

All Peas - This includes snow peas and snap peas (pea that you eat the entire pod), or shelling peas (peas shelled out of in-edible pods). Can start direct sowing seeds in November with February being your last chance. You will start to harvest 2 months later. My personal favorite snow pea is Oregon Sugar Pod II, and snap pea is Sugar Daddy. They just perform well despite the fluctuating temperatures in my Florida garden.  

Check out my how to grow peas from seed to harvest guide here:

Potatoes - You can plant potatoes in November, December, January, and February. The goal with potatoes is to have them grow during the cooler and drier months of the year. The potatoes will rot underground if they get too much water. I recommend early maturing varieties for the south like Red Norland or Adirondack Blue. The longer they stay in the ground, the higher the risk for nematodes and other pests to find them.

Check out my how to plant and grow potatoes YouTube video guide here: