Growing Our Own Veggies - February Checklist

This is a short one this month, because everything that was true in January is still true now. If you missed the January checklist, here it is.

The only things to add are:

1) If you're getting another cold snap, consider wrapping your composter in old carpet, old cardboard or old bubble wrap to keep those little bacteria chomping away on your organic waste.

2) If it's not too bitter where you are, you might consider putting up trellising or other support structures for things like runner beans that you plan to grow up walls or fences, and making or buying hanging baskets and other containers for growing veg in later in the year.

Hanging baskets could be made from clean plastic gallon containers cut below the handle section with drainage holes drilled. They can be strung and hung from a strong hook with thin garden roping.

Or you could use old clay pots with small drainage holes drilled.

And old straw baskets will do the job as well.

And finally:

3) If you have been pre-warming your soil by covering it with carpet or plastic bin liners, then you could plant out seeds for beetroot, broad beans, carrots, lettuce, parsnips, peas, spinach, summer cabbages or radish, as long as they're under cloches.

Don't forget, if you don't want to buy cloches, you can make your own if you've been saving clear or green plastic bottles. Just cut the top third off (that's the bit you want to use) and place it over the seed - you can use the open neck of the bottle for easy watering.

So where are you lovely folk at with your food growing plans?