Gardening jobs...February

For gardeners February is the month in which green shoots give us hope for the rest of the year. Whether you are out and about seeing the buds on trees or starting to propagate seeds at home there's plenty to be doing.

Sow – Start off early crops of peppers, chillies, broad beans and Brussels sprouts. You can also sow tomatoes, carrots, turnips, spinach, shallots, onions, peas, leeks and garlic.

Harvest – Enjoy your winter crops of Brussels sprouts, cabbages, cauliflowers, celeriac, kale, leeks and parsnips.

Prune autumn raspberries – Cut any old canes back to the ground so the new shoots have room to grow. If you want to plant some new canes do so now.

Plant rhubarb crowns – Rhubarb loves some rich compost to help it on its way. Although you should get a good number of stalks this year don't be tempted to pick them. Rhubarb needs at least a year to settle in. Let the stalks and leaves die back at the end of the year.

Chit potatoes – First early varieties need preparing now so they can be sown from the end of the month onwards. Warmth and sunlight will help them establish long, strong roots.

Deal with deep-rooted weeds – When the ground starts to dry out start to dig out perennial weeds such as dandelion, creeping buttercup and ground elder.

Cut back any overgrown hedges, bushes or trees – Get the trimming done before birds start nesting otherwise you will have to leave it until the autumn.

Visit a garden – Take a break and get some inspiration from visiting other gardens. Public and private gardens are starting to reopen this month. Pick a National Garden Scheme garden open for charity as part of their third annual Snowdrop Festival.

Have you started sowing yet? Are you planning to visit a snowdrop garden this month?