Greenhouse

February
  • Inspect plants under cover and indoors removing dead leaves etc. to prevent grey mould getting going
  • Bring sowing and potting composts into warmth at least a day before intending using them
  • Paint a watering can, or a plastic water bottle black and stand in sun or close by a radiator to have warmer water for your new seedlings.
  • Place mirrors, aluminum foil or just white paper to reflect more valuable light onto your most important plants under cover
  • To save heat at night place a piece of aluminised ‘space blanket’ (from camping stores) over your propagator, or make your own from empty plastic coffee bags stapled together
  • Chit early potato 'seed' on trays in a light, frost free place
  • Start off onion and shallot sets in pots or modules under cover as then they only need planting out once as the rootball can be firmed in and the worms and birds can’t shift them
  • Pack washed sweet potato in gritty sowing compost and keep moist and warm to force shoots to pot on
  • Sow early half hardy bedding plants in small pots in warmth
  • Sow hardy scented annuals such as alyssum and mignonette, thinly, in seed trays full of compost or in big pots especially Night Scented stocks as their evening perfume is a delight, add some Virginian stocks for daytime prettiness
  • Sow early batches of indoor tomatoes, cucumbers, hot and sweet peppers and aubergines in individual pots in warmth, and sow basil to go with them
  • Sow rocket and most other saladings in multicelled trays or small pots
  • Pot on just about everything growing in the greenhouse or indoors
  • Lift, pot and bring under cover clumps of chives and mint roots to force for earlier pickings
  • Bring in tub grown grapevines, peaches, cherries and apricots, strawberry and gooseberry plants for forcing under cover
  • Stand pots of fuschias, primulas and other plants prone to vine weevil in saucers sat in bigger saucers with the gap kept full of water as a moat
  • Have a slug, snail and woodlice hunt to thin them before they multiply