February is a strange month – it is short and often not the sort of time one feels like being outside in the garden. Although, if the weather is nice you can be lulled into a false sense of security and start doing gardening tasks too early! However, if the weather is anything like it has been for the past few weeks it is a mistake to think that you can plant things outside now unless under cloches or in a greenhouse.

Help plants get off to a flying start

I have found that being too eager is a waste of time – wait a few more weeks and plant when the conditions are more favourable and the plants get off to a flying start, and soon catch up with the poor struggling specimens that you couldn’t wait to pop in the cold, wet ground.

To help with the New Year weight loss why don’t you turn your compost heap? Empty it onto a tarpaulin and replace it in the compost bin, allowing the air to get to all the decaying matter. If it is too wet and slimy add shredded paper or cardboard. Make sure you cover it with a lid or a piece of old carpet.

If the weather allows, get out in the borders and remove any weeds. Compost the annual weeds but dispose of things like dandelions (perennial weeds that continue growing year on year) in the garden waste collection (they compost at a much higher temperature to kill off any problem seeds). Removing weeds now will make your job so much easier later on in the season before they take hold.

Hazel or birch are ideal for ‘pea sticks’

This is the perfect time of year to get to grips with putting stakes in your borders. Hazel or birch is the ideal thing to use for ‘pea sticks’ (not just for peas!) and now is a great time to cut it, as the sap rises and it gets a little more pliable before the leaves appear. You can also buy lots of different types of plant supports, but the key to them all is to put them in nice and early, before the plants need supporting so they can grow through them and look natural.