As I write this post for the maintenance and chores for the garden during the month of February, I can’t help but feel excited for the gardening season. Living in Indiana, and I am sure this happens in many other parts of the US, we get a couple of “fake” springs early on in the year. This year it seems that mother nature is playing with the feelings of every gardener in Central Indiana and is throwing some days in the upper 50s. What a nice treat!

If you’re tired of staring out the window waiting for spring, it’s time to take action! February may not seem like a big gardening month, but there’s actually a lot you can do to get ahead.

Start Seeds Indoors

This is the month to get a head start on certain vegetables and flowers by starting them indoors under grow lights. Here are some good ones to begin with:

• Brassicas: Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, lettuce, spinach, and kohlrabi. They love the cool weather and will be ready to go outside in very early spring.
• Peppers: These take a long time to grow, so it’s best to start them early, about 8-10 weeks before your last frost date hits.
• Flowers: Coleus and petunias are great choices to start indoors now, so they have plenty of time to grow before they go outside. (Petunias and coleus can take their sweet time, believe me! So patience is key!)

Start Cool Flowers

Cool flowers are hardy annuals that can handle a bit of cold and actually thrive in cooler temperatures. Unlike warm-season flowers, which struggle in chilly weather, cool flowers have adapted to grow in lower temperatures, often developing strong roots while it’s still cold. They can handle light frosts, and many can even survive a dip below freezing.

Some great options to start indoors include:

• Stock (Smells amazing!)
• Strawflowers
• Yarrow
• Statice
• Rudbeckias (Black-eyed Susans)
• Snapdragons
  

Most of these can be transplanted very early outside, about 6-8 weeks before your last frost date.

To help them adjust to the outdoor temperatures, consider hardening them off first. This means gradually introducing them to outdoor conditions by placing them outside for a few hours each day, increasing the time over a week or two, just like you do warm loving seedlings.

If temperatures drop suddenly, you can give them a little extra protection by covering them with frost cloth using a low tunnel, or even using greenhouse plastic on particularly cold nights.

This year, I am trying soil blocks again for starting seeds and I already have a few of these cool flowers growing indoors, but if you are new to growing from seed, check this very lovely blog post about starting from seed from our friend Amanda Nadeau. 

Pre-Sprouting Ranunculus Corms

Ranunculus are stunning spring flowers that resemble mini roses with layers of delicate, papery petals in bright, cheerful colors. They are a cool-season flower, meaning they thrive in cooler temperatures and bloom in spring before the heat of summer sets in.
They grow from corms, which are small, knobby, and somewhat spider-like structures that store energy for the plant. (Think of them as a cross between a tuber and a bulb.)

Unlike traditional bulbs, ranunculus corms need a little pre-planting preparation to get them growing strong.

To pre-sprout them:

1. Soak the corms in room temperature water for about 4 hours. (Make sure to change the water every hour and very quickly they’ll plump up like little octopuses—super weird but cool.)
2. Drain them and place them in a container with damp potting mix or vermiculite.
3. Keep them somewhere cool and dark (around 40°F-50°F) for 10-14 days until tiny roots start forming.
4. Check them every couple of days for moisture, while they could rot if they stay too wet, they need a bit of moisture to start developing roots.
5. Once they have small roots, they can be planted outside in early spring, even if there are still chilly nights ahead, but you can also pot them up into bigger containers and let them continue to grow indoors.

Ranunculus prefer cool temperatures for growing—ideally 40°F-60°F during the day. If temperatures dip below freezing after planting, they may need a light frost cover for protection. In warm climates, they’re best grown as fall-planted flowers that bloom in late winter to early spring before the heat arrives.

Plan for Compost or Bulk Soil Mix

If you’re thinking about adding raised beds or refreshing your garden soil, now is the time to start looking for bulk compost or soil mix. Can your supplier deliver this early in the year? Do they have a minimum? Local garden centers and nurseries start selling it in early spring, and it’s better to plan ahead than scramble at the last minute. (Trust me, hauling heavy soil bags on a warm spring day is no fun.)

Check Overwintering Dahlia Tubers

If you stored dahlia tubers indoors for the winter, take a moment to check on them. Look for any signs of mold, rot, or shriveling.

• If they’re moldy, wipe them down with a little bit of sulfur powder or cinnamon to prevent further issues.
• If they’re shriveled, they might need a little more moisture—try putting them in a slightly damp medium like peat moss or vermiculite.

If you find yourself in my position and you found out your tubers are completely mushy and done, this is the perfect opportunity to check for tuber sales happening all over the country, plan for your space and think how you can change your overwintering technique for the following year.

Prune Roses and Hydrangeas

February is a good month to prune certain plants, including roses and hydrangeas.

• Roses: Remove any dead or weak growth, and shape the plant to encourage healthy new branches.
• Hydrangeas: Be careful—only prune those that bloom on new wood, like panicle or smooth hydrangeas. If you’re unsure what type you have, a quick online search can help! (Or just wait until they start growing—better safe than sorry.)

February is a month of small but important tasks that will make a big difference once spring hits. Even though it’s still winter, getting a head start now will make you feel ahead of the game when the season really kicks into gear in the next couple of months. (And let’s be honest, it’s just nice to do something garden-related when we’re all itching for spring.)

This blog was written by Roxana Snedeker, if you'd like to find her on socials, you can find her as @soilandmargaritas.