Suburban Habitat February Garden Calendar
Food
Get your veggie seeds started now!
By germinating vegetable seeds indoors, you can get an early start in the garden when the weather breaks. Earth Plug Trays are a great way to start. Each tray contains 50 peat plugs that are great for starting seeds. You can then simply plant the root filled plug in the garden, and your veggies are ready to go! Try our Instant Veggie Garden, Tomato Lovers Seed Sets. These seed sets contain wonderful seed varieties from Seeds of Change. All of the seed packets are organic & many are heirloom varieties.
Fertilize your garden.
To prep your veggie beds, Mix in a box or two of All Purpose Mix, or Vegan Mix if you want a fertilizer without animal ingredients. To boost Winter flowering plants & get Spring bloomers a good start, try the Rose, Flower & Bulb Mix. All of these fertilizers are from Down to Earth and are made from natural ingredients and are Earth friendly.
Shelter
Offer some attractive lodging for your outdoor friends!
It’s time to put up shelters in anticipation of Spring time residents. Studies have shown that backyard birds prefer seasoned & weathered houses to new ones. So putting them up early to “Break them in” is a great way to increase your chances of occupancy. Plus birds may also use them as cozy Winter roosts. We have houses & nesting boxes for just about any backyard critter: Birds of all sorts, Bats, Beneficial insects, Squirrels & and even Toads!
Bio-Balance
Prevent Crab Grass in your lawn this Spring.
Treat your lawn with pre-emergent before crab grass and other broadleaf weeds germinate. We offer a great product called Corn Weed Blocker. This granular product is derived from corn gluten meal and contains no harmful chemicals. Additionally, it serves as a slow release Nitrogen fertilizer that will give your lawn a nice boost of green! An application now and again in late Summer will help keep your lawn lush & weed free.
Get ahead of the Slugs & Snails.
Slug & Snail Traps – These Slug & Snail Traps attract slimy creatures with a pheromone based attractant. And they can also be very effective when refilled with dark beer as an attractant.
Copper Barrier Tape – A great way to treat raised vegetable beds. The Copper Barrier combines with the body chemistry of slugs & snails delivers a small shock to the slimy intruders, sending them off in the other direction.
Slugoff – This is a great new product. Slugoff is an alternative to copper tape. Each pack contains 5 reusable copper “collars” that you can place around the stem of target plants. It is a great alternative when taping off the entire area is not practical. Plus they are sturdy, so you can reuse them year after year!
Sluggo – Sluggo is an easy & effective granular bait that. Simply sprinkle Sluggo about your problem areas and you’re done. It even remains effective after watering or rain. Sluggo is made from Iron Phosphate that occurs naturally in the soil and is safe for use around domestic pets and wildlife. We offer 1lb Sluggo for potted plants & small Gardens, and we have a 2.5lb Sluggo size for larger gardens.
Protect your Fruits, Nuts & Vegetables from Disease.
With most fungus problems prevention is the best way to win the battle, so early application is key. Precious crops are threatened by an array of funguses, such as: Anthracnose, Blights, Leaf Curls & Spots, and Mildews and Liqui-cop is the cure. The name says it all. This product uses copper as its active ingredient. Liqui-cop can be safely applied to a wide variety of backyard plants, from fruit trees, to vegetables, to ornamentals.
Protect your Camellias from Petal Blight.
The best way to prevent those unsightly brown spots on your Camellia blossoms is to clean up after them. The fungus that causes the blight grows on fallen and or rotting flowers. Simply pick old blossoms from the plant & be sure to rake or pick up all fallen blossoms around the base of your plants.
Tool Shed
Now is the time to prune Fruit trees, Roses & Grapes.
No gardener should take on their pruning chores without a pair of Felco Hand Pruners. These are the same tools that professionals & expert gardeners swear by. Felco hand pruners are Swiss engineered for precision and durability & ergonomically designed for hours of pain free pruning. We offer many models for different hand sizes & easy of use. There is even a model for lefties! Treat yourself to the finest hand pruners on the market. These will be the last pair of hand pruners you ever buy (unless you lose them)!
Get Those Garden Blades Sharp & Clean.
Sharp tools make cleaner cuts & make for healthier plants. First get your tools clean. Water helps, but a wipe with rubbing alcohol will kill diseases and such that may still be stuck to your tools. Next sharpen the blades on your hand pruners, loppers, shears, lawn mowers (a good time to change oil, spark plugs & filters too), and even shovels picks & hoes. Finally, apply a coat of protective oil to prevent corrosion. You can use Honing, Gun, or even Olive oil. Be sure to wipe clean after application.
Need Tips on How to Prune in the Garden?
Check out our simple Pruning Tips. These basic steps will help you prune a wide variety of plants in your garden. Need tips on pruning specific plants? Drop us an email & Ask the Pros!
In the Sky
Here is the schedule of what you can expect to see in the night sky this month.
Full Moon FEB. 2
Last Quarter FEB. 10
New Moon FEB. 17
First Quarter FEB. 24
