February can be a great time to begin gardening, depending on where you live.  We get many warm sunny days in February and sometimes it can be the coldest month of the year. On nice sunny days you can prepare and get ready for spring.  Some hardy vegetables like broad beans and spring garlic can be started this month in most areas. Soil thermometers are often a big help in planning just the right time to plant, rather than depending on a particular date, as each year varies. When soil temperatures stay above 45 degrees for a week, it’s time to start sowing.  

General Gardening Tasks:

• Work compost into garden beds, but do not work when soil is wet to avoid compaction.
• Apply an All Purpose fertilizer to asparagus beds.
• Fertilize fruit trees and grapes with a fruit tree fertilizer towards the end of February.
• Spray fruits trees with last spray of horticulture oil around Valentine’s Day. Do this when rain is not expected within 48 hours of spraying.
• Finish pruning fruit trees in warmer climates. 
• Harvest Brussels sprouts, winter cabbages, last of parsnips, leeks, Jerusalem artichokes and other overwintered vegetables.
• Plant fruit trees and shrubs weather permitting.

For warmer climates such as our zone 8 here in Southern Utah (cooler areas should wait a month):

• Plants peas, bunching onions, broadbeans, radish, collards, Swiss chard, onion plants, shallots, kale, pansies, leeks, spring garlic, broccoli, asparagus and potatoes (end of month).

Under frost blanket or cloches:

• Sow beets, cauliflower, lettuce, spinach, turnips, and other greens.