From Suitcase to Spade – Maria’s Allotment Adventures as a Novice Gardener
A relative novice who only took on her Roots Allotment plot last year, she’s discovering what works (and what really doesn’t), one month at a time. While Girl About is all about travel, we know most adventures start at home – and gardens are pretty perfect places to slow down, get inspired, and plan the next trip.
Expect practical tips, honest lessons, and a reminder that you don’t have to be an expert to get growing.
February on the allotment
February can feel like the garden is holding its breath. The soil is cold and there is little growth but beneath the surface, things are stirring. This month is a great month for gentle preparation. A time for early sowing under cover, and a good tidy-up ready for the spring season.
Small jobs, ten minutes here, half an hour there all add up to make sure your allotment is at its best and ready for planting. Here are the top February jobs to get your outdoor growing space tip top.
- Prepare beds by removing weeds and adding well-rotted compost or manure.
- Chit seed potatoes in a light, frost-free place, a window sill is ideal.
- Prune apple and pear trees if you haven’t already to encourage new growth.
- Prune winter-flowering shrubs once they finish blooming.
- Check overwintering crops like kale and sprouts for pests. Covering with netting is a great way to deter many pests.
- February is also a good time to plan crop rotation and decide where everything will go in the new season.
Interested in having an allotment? Read how Maria got started, and the work of the Roots Allotment team
Sow Seeds Indoors and get a head start.
February is perfect for starting seeds indoors, on a sunny windowsill or in a greenhouse. This is a great way to get ahead and get those little shoots growing. Vegetables that do great during early spring include – chillies, sweet pepper, aubergines, tomatoes, broad bean, onions, leeks, celery and early lettuce. Top tip – label everything, it’s so easy to forget which tiny seedlings are which when they pop through.
Early flowers bring colour sooner and support pollinators later, try these for early spring colour.
- Sweet peas
- Antirrhinums (snapdragons)
- Verbena bonariensis
- Cosmos
- Salvia
- Petunias and lobelia
- A greenhouse works well but a light windowsill is enough – just make sure to turn trays regularly to prevent leggy growth.
A Month for Hopeful Gardening
February isn’t about instant results, patience is definitely required. It’s about laying foundations, nurturing tiny beginnings, and enjoying the quiet satisfaction of being one step ahead of spring. A few pots on a windowsill and a tidy bed ready for planting and a plan —that’s February gardening at its best.
By Maria Davison
Image credit – Dreamstime
