Gardener’s calendar for February – Moskovskaya Pravda

In the last month of winter, it is time for gardeners to get their annual attributes for planting seedlings. What cultures to start with? How to make a proper landing plan? How to check seed germination? What does the lunar calendar say about this? For these important for gardeners questions we will try to answer today.

“Don’t be angry like February, but spring is just around the corner,” says folk wisdom. Indeed, in the last winter month, you can slowly start drawing up a plan for the beds.

For a competent arrangement of a garden or vegetable garden, you must first draw up a diagram with your intentions to grow certain crops on the site. This will not only rationalize the use of space, but also ensure the best development of plants. After all, many crops are very sensitive to soils, lighting and agricultural practices. It is also necessary to take into account the footage of the territory and the facilities available (or planned in the near future) on it: a house, a garage, playgrounds, and more. Because buildings can obscure your crops.

Of course, the best place to plant vegetables will be a flat area that receives the sun’s rays for most of the day. Planting material is best planted from north to south, then during the day the sun will illuminate it evenly from all sides.

But each site has its own characteristics, and, for example, if the garden is located at an angle, then preference should be given to the southern and southeastern sides, which will be best warmed up by the sun. On the northern part, mounds are formed or tall crops are planted – corn, sunflowers or ornamental shrubs. Thus, the lower cold wind, which is dangerous for many heat-loving plants, is extinguished. Well, or you can take this part of the site for a recreation area.

All plants, without exception, need water. Therefore, it is important to make a water supply scheme on the plan. Leave free access to the main water source. Water pipes and hoses must not interfere with plantings. If you do not plan to visit your lands every day, then it is more rational to arrange the beds in a recess. In this case, the water will not evaporate too quickly, and mulching (with hay, peat, compost, mowed grass, etc.) will additionally retain moisture. With a raised ground level, the soil warms up faster. If the site is located in a lowland, then drainage furrows are needed to drain excess moisture.

In order to get a good harvest, it is impossible to plant the same crops in the same place, as the soils are depleted and pathogenic bacteria accumulate in them. For example, cabbage is sick with clubroot, and in this place where it grew, for 3-4 years you can not grow any kind of cabbage and other cruciferous, radish, swede, radish, turnip, because keel spores remain in the soil.

You can not plant tomatoes and potatoes again after tomatoes, otherwise there may be a threat of late blight disease.

On the plan, be sure to mark what fertilizers and on which beds you applied in the fall and what needs to be applied in the spring.

Neighborhood is also important. To save space, some vegetables can be grown in the same garden. Good neighbors will harmoniously combine side by side and positively influence each other: together they will repel pests and improve taste. An unfavorable co-location, on the contrary, contributes to growth inhibition, as cultures begin to compete.

Almost all spicy crops (dill, fennel, leek, garlic) are very useful not only for humans, but also for the garden plants themselves. Greens with their essential oils are able to attract beneficial insects and repel pests. You can grow it in the aisle.

The shape and length of the beds can be any. But there should be good access to it, it is desirable that its width be no more than 1 m. This width will be enough to plant several rows of vegetables or herbs, while they will simply be looked after.

Such a rational approach will help save your money, because you want to try to plant different crops. And from the modern abundance of seeds, eyes simply run up.

If you plan the beds correctly, then you don’t need to spend money on extra seeds, besides, they have a limited shelf life. Well, if last year’s seeds remain, then check them for germination in advance. Soak 10 pcs. seeds (for zucchini, cucumbers, pumpkins, you can take 5 pcs.) On a rag or soft paper, covering the top with the same material, and add water drop by drop if necessary. Keep in mind that each crop has a different seed germination time. After 4 to 10 days, the seeds of most crops will hatch. Count the number of germinated seeds. If there are more than half of them, you can plant them. Do not forget that tightly germinating seeds of celery, pepper, parsley, dill, fennel can germinate for 15-18 days. Therefore, the calculation of their germination is checked after 2-3 weeks. And the seeds of beans and peas are not soaked in water, but in wet sawdust, having previously been doused with boiling water, or in wet sand, pressing them into the ground.

Beginning gardeners are often led by colorful bags of imported seeds, thinking they are better than domestic ones. But they are often mistaken, because many foreign varieties are bred for more southern latitudes. Therefore, in our suburbs, they bear fruit worse.

If you liked the bag, where the Latin letter F is next to the name, then this is a hybrid. They give a big harvest, are resistant to diseases, and better tolerate temperature changes. But hybrids require high agricultural technology when growing, they often have to be fed. Therefore, before you buy seeds of a particular variety, decide for yourself what kind of fruits you want to get. For example, if these are cucumbers – for salads or canning, short or long fruits, where you will grow them – in a greenhouse or open field. Each variety has its own characteristics, terms of maturation and germination.

Seeds of crops such as parsnips, celery, leeks should not be bought for future use. They must be sown fresh.

Seeds of pepper, eggplant, carrots and peas reliably retain their germination for two years. And lettuce, parsley, radishes and spinach will give you reliable germination for three years.

All types of cabbage, turnips, beets, zucchini, pumpkins, cucumbers and tomatoes retain their sowing qualities for an even longer time.

And of course, you need to prepare a mixture of soil for seedlings.

Well, we are preparing for sowing seedlings of root celery.

Favorable for this will be February 11, 12, and after the new moon from the 25th – eggplant and pepper.

Alina Fedorova.

Author’s photo