What can and should be planted in February, says an experienced gardener

Strawberries and flowers all year round: the summer season has already begun

The Russian proverb: prepare a cart in winter and a sleigh in summer is relevant not only for peasants, but also for gardeners. February is the time to start preparing for the new summer season. Gardener Natalya Egorkina advises readers of MK what can be planted in February.

Strawberries. If you want to get a harvest of berries this year, then now is the time to sow strawberry seeds for seedlings. Their germination is good, but then problems can begin.

Strawberry seedlings are very tender, often get sick and wither, so they require careful care. I advise you to pay special attention to lighting; in February the daylight hours are still short, so the seedlings need to be illuminated with phytolamps.

The second condition for the health of your seedlings is high-quality soil. Strawberry seeds are very small, almost like dust, so the soil should be light and breathable. Also, do not forget to disinfect the soil, even if it was not taken from the garden, but was specially purchased at the store. You can simply steam it over a pan of boiling water or treat it with a special disinfectant solution for soil, sold in garden stores, then let the soil stand and breathe for a couple of days, during which time it will take on the desired loose structure.

Seeds need to be hardened before planting – this applies to any seeds, not just strawberries. Some people put them in the refrigerator for several days, others bury the container with the seeds in the snow. I combine both methods in one: in a container with soil prepared for sowing seeds, I put a little snow on top, sprinkle the seeds on it, then close the lid and put it in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Then all that remains is to take out the container, remove the lid and place it in a sunny window. The first shoots will appear in 5 days. Just remember to moisten the soil.

Flowers. Of all the annual flowers, I love eustoma the most. She is quite unpretentious and very elegant. The main thing is to grow the seedlings correctly (although in its homeland in Central America it is a perennial plant, eustoma cannot survive our harsh winters).

The soil can be either your own from the garden or purchased; you can use peat tablets, but you don’t need to plant the seeds in the ground, just cover the container with a plastic bag. It takes a long time for the sprouts to hatch – up to a month, all this time do not forget to spray the soil with a spray bottle and ventilate it. The seedlings of this plant are very tiny, so be careful with watering and picking, it is better to wait to plant the sprouts until several pairs of leaves appear. If you sow eustoma right now, then from June to August you will enjoy a wonderful cloud of flowers in your flowerbed.

Back in February, you can sow petunia, begonia, lobelia, bacopa, viola and pelargonium. Many flowers have very small seeds, so it is better to choose those sold in granules. I would also advise giving special preference to hanging plants – they are now both fashionable and very beautiful. With the help of vertical gardening, you can turn any, even the smallest, area into a beautiful garden, and with the help of these flowers it will delight you with its beauty until frost.