February was a cool and dry month, as expected, here in Central Florida. It was a gradual transition into spring and this year I was ready for it, armed with knowledge and experience from last year’s garden.
Journal Entry Notes for February 2021
Saturday, February 6th
It was time to tidy up the garden to get it ready for spring planting with warm weather veggies. My husband Mike weed-wacked the brown mustard plants we had used as a cover crop and I worked it into the soil. Hopefully, it will deter some of the nematodes that plague my tomatoes, and at least add some needed nutrients.
I harvested all of the marigold, zinnia, and lemon basil seeds. This year I am planting more flowers. They make the garden much prettier, plus attract pollinators.
Later in the day, I potted up all of the tomato and pepper plants I had started from seed on January 1st. Our total seedling count for this spring included:
- 6 Purple Cherokee tomatoes
- 6 Abe Lincoln tomatoes
- 5 Homestead tomatoes
- 14 Cherry tomatoes
- 9 California Wonder peppers
- 14 Jalapeno peppers
In the evening, I planted sweet potato slips in the garden, then watered everything with some of our harvested rainwater.
February 20th – 26th – Catching Up
I got behind on my journaling this month, so here’s a quick summary of the middle of February.
What Was Planted
Recently, I received some Seminole pumpkin seeds in a seed swap with a lady in one of my Facebook gardening groups. I planted 6 of the seeds in a seed starting mix, and I saved the rest to plant later in the season. I am experimenting with different planting times – the spring warm season (Jan-April) and early fall warm season (Aug-Sept).
My dragon fruit seedlings were finally big enough to transplant into bigger pots. I potted up an amazing quantity of 88 tiny cacti! I combined 1 part cactus mix with 2 parts potting mix. They are in 15 different clay pots until they grow larger and need to be potted up again. I’ve placed them in several areas around the back yard and garden to determine the best sun exposure for them to flourish.
I added a potted lemon balm plant to my tea garden. I love lemony flavors in my teas.
We’re experimenting with growing lettuce indoors. It’s just too hot and muggy outside during the summer for lettuce. I planted a mesclun mix and an heirloom Black Seeded Simpson in regular potting mix. I placed it on the same shelf where I sprouted my winter lettuces.
What was Harvested
I know this may look crazy, or even over-simplified, but I’ve been keeping track of my harvest by writing the date and weight (usually in ounces) on an ordinary note pad. When I get extra time, I enter the data into a spreadsheet.
Tomato production really picked up! The Homestead and Brickyard varieties of tomatoes have produced nice sized and flavorful fruits. What we don’t eat for fresh, I put into Ziplock gallon freezer bags in my freezer. When I get enough, I can them, usually as stewed tomatoes or salsa.
We’ve still been eating mixed salad greens from the garden all winter, but they are starting to die off as the heat increases.
I harvested several heads of cabbage this month and made a few small batches of sauerkraut, various coleslaws, and cabbage rolls.
The garden has been good to us this winter, adding fresh flavors and extra nutrition to our meals. We’re enjoying being more self-reliant with our food, and are gradually increasing the varieties and quantities of our fruits and vegetables.
Garden Activities
Every year between Valentine’s Day and the end of February, we spend a morning trimming our crepe myrtle and hibiscus. We chop the branches in our wood chipper then add them to the compost pile. Some of our neighbors were also trimming trees, so we were able to collect more free wood to chip.
February 27th – Super Saturday!
Lately, I’ve felt like a “weekend warrior” in the garden. Many of my gardening activities get pushed to the weekend due to our full-time jobs and not much daylight left in the evenings. I always look forward to the “spring ahead” for Daylight Savings Time and those extra hours of evening sunlight.
This Saturday I planted the tomatoes into the garden. I spaced them farther apart this year to help with air flow. The rain and high humidity contribute to diseases, so I’m trying to be pro-active with my tomato care. I also plan to regularly prune the branches and keep all leaves from touching the ground.
Because of all the nematodes in our soil, I decided to plant my peppers in pots this year. I was able to obtain some free plastic buckets and I used a potting soil mix for container gardens to plant my peppers. I placed the buckets along a fence where they will get afternoon shade.
Another plant I am adding to my tea garden is Roselle. This annual makes a delicious red tea. It goes by many names including: Red Sorrel, Florida Cranberry, Rosella, and several more. Here is a great resource website for this delicious addition to a tea garden. I had 20 seeds in the seed packet that I started in a 3-gallon pot. They will be transferred to the raised bed once the potatoes are harvested.
I also planted bush beans between the tomato rows as nitrogen fixers, more marigolds to help deter nematodes, and a Japanese sweet potato that I had started indoors.
New Growth in the Garden
- Nasturtiums are blossoming.
- The blackberry has leaf buds.
- The first two of hopefully many more persimmon trees have come up after cold-stratifying over the winter.
- Cherry tomatoes are starting to turn red.
- Potatoes are starting to wilt and will be ready to harvest soon.
End of the Month Evaluation
Whew! My garden’s getting busy! My second year of gardening here in Florida feels much easier than last year. I know what’s coming with the weather and I can anticipate the pests and diseases. Hopefully, nothing too crazy will take me by surprise.
I was recently pleased to find new infographics for gardening in Florida that are provided by the University of Florida IFAS. Here’s a link to their updated PDFs. Anyone gardening in Florida should become familiar with this valuable resource.
It’s time to get busy to prepare for March. I hope your spring garden is off to as good a start as mine!
Happy gardening!
Alisa