I have ordered bunches of Onion sets that will be shipped on February 14th and to prepare for them, I plan to rototill and hill up the rows in the garden where they will go. I got a load of Mulch from the city of Norman about a month ago and it is piled in the garden awaiting use. We should get some rain this next week and the fresh rototilled and rowed garden will be ready for the rainfall. It is also approaching time to plant potatos so I will be looking for seed potatos at Atwoods and other sources this next week. I plan to start some pepper seeds in the next 3 weeks in order to have plants ready by mid April.

I'm getting my seeds started for tomatoes, peppers (sweet & hot)and broccoli this weekend. Going to green sprout potatoes and find some good onion sets for this area- anyone know a good, spicy red that grows well here? I'm also starting a few of my annuals. This puts me about a week or so behind Dawn and seems to be about right for what I've learned for this area to have healthy sized plants ready for the beds.

As far as outside, we're checking under the leaf fall that's been blanketing our existing gardens and checking on the soil moisture around the perennials, then snuggling them back up. The soil looks nice and the leaves are composting nicely. So, hopefully all my perennials will be starting to grow again soon :) I'm going to finish my bulbs in a couple of weeks, once the ground is a little more workable. And we're going to add in some more green mulch to give it some time to settle in before I plant out annuals. When we're checking under the leaf fall, we're also direct winter sowing morning glories, etc that need soaking/stratification/scarification to germinate.

Now, to the exciting news! DH is giving me a Valentine's gift that he chuckles and shakes his head about, but is giving me despite him thinking it's not very romantic. He's building me four raised beds for veggies! I wanted to go with the cinder blocks and layer them lasagna style. I'm going to plant them more or less in a SFG manner. This will allow me to not only plant companion plants and herbs in the cinder block holes, but give me a place to sit and not have to bend and stoop so much to garden this year. With the back problems I'm having, that and cutting down on weeding are prime concerns. We're going to use capstones on some of the holes to give me a place to sit and reach in, the others will be left open to plant companion plants, herbs and strawberries. So, I'll have the raised beds, designed to make gardening easier on my back, the lasagna method to keep the soil enriched and I can plant in it as soon as I have the plants ready to go out, less weeds. I'm really excited about this!

We live in a rental and the landlord lets us do what we wish, but should we move, it wouldn't take long to dismantle the beds since we're dry stacking them, smooth out the soil and remake our beds at a new home :) Not planning to move, but that was a consideration since we are renting.

So, anyone have any other suggestions about putting together these new beds?

Kathy

Here's what I usually do in February:

Order seeds not ordered in January. If seed-starting supplies are needed, get them now. Check supplies and begin buying whatever else is needed in advance of the growing season.

Fertilize cool-season grasses.

Fertilize spring-flowering bulbs. When they bloom, they are using energy stored from the prior growing season. So, fertilize them now for a good show of flowers next year.

Supply food and water for the birds. If you help them get through the winter, they'll generally reward you by hanging around your yard and eating bugs the rest of the year.

Clean out Purple Martin houses and stick plugs in doorways to keep other birds from moving in and building nests prior to the arrival of the Purple Martins. Remove plugs as soon as first Purple Martin appears, or check migration map and remove plugs when the birds are getting close to your part of the state.

Spray fruit trees with lime-sulphur or any other fungicide that is labeled for use on fruit trees if peach leaf curl is an issue.

Pull any winter weeds that have sprouted in beds and replenish mulch as needed so more weeds won't sprout.

Water every 7-10 days if adequate moisture is not present.

Rework/replenish veggie garden beds as needed. Remove winter weeds that have sprouted while they are still very small and easy to handle.

Plant bare-root fruit trees, roses and fruits (berries, grapes) if this wasn't completed in January. Plant aspargus, rhubarb and horseradish.

Do a soil test and amend soil as needed if this was not done in January.

Prune grapes.

Prune trees and shrubs, as needed, and if needed. Don't prune spring-flowering shrubs until after they have bloomed or you'll cut off all their potential flowers.

Begin planting containerized trees and shrubs that are cold-hardy.

Sow seeds indoors of cool-season crops early in month so they'll be ready to set out late in the month (can do it earlier in southern-most parts of the state).

Sow seeds indoors of tomatoes, peppers and eggplant for transplanting in March and April. Start seeds of slow-growing flowering annuals, like petunias, in order to have sizeable transplants by planting time.

Spray dormant oil as needed, especially on plants that have persistent problems with spider mites, scale and other pests. You don't spray any evergreens that have needles--only the broadleaf ones.

Sow seeds of poppies and larkspur on soil surface as they need both light and cold weather to germinate if you did not do this in the Nov.-Jan. time frame.

Remove dead tops of perennials and clean out any leftover dead plant debris in beds. Rake any leaves still laying around on the ground and compost them, or use them as mulch. They'll stay in place better and decompose more quickly if you chop or shred them first.

If raising your own onions from seeds, start them in flats early in the month for planting later in the month or early in March.

Check and do routine maintenance on garden tools and equipment, including handtools, cultivators (mini-tillers), rototillers, lawn tractors or lawn mowers, weed-eaters, chipper-shredders, water hoses, sprinklers, etc. Making any necessary repairs now leaves you in good shape for spring.

Watch the weather. Although we usually plant "by the calendar" we also have to make sure the weather is cooperating. If it is unusually cold or wet, you'll have to adjust planting dates accordingly.

Watch the plants. A lot of garden folklore relates to planting certain crops at the time that landscape plants are doing certain things. For example, one old folk gardening tip is to only plant your sweet corn after the oak leaves are the size of a mouse's ear (or larger). Or, since pecans bloom and leaf out very late in the season, don't plant warm-season plants until your local pecan trees start blooming or leafing out. This works for me about 8 years out of 10.

Clean and sanitize seed flats and other containers that are to be used for seed-starting or for growing-on your seedlings once they are large enough to be transplanted out of the starter trays. Check seed-starting shelf or table and replace any dead bulbs, etc. so it will be ready when needed.

Pre-order onion plants for delivery at the appropriate planting time, or watch for them to arrive in stores.

Purchase and sprout seed potatoes for planting later in month.

Find your gardening gloves if they've been "put away" all winter. If they've been stored in a garage, barn or shed, check the inside of the glove before putting them on. One winter, I found dozens of baby Black Widow spiders in the fingers of gloves that had been hanging on a hook.

If spider webs are a problem in your garage, shed, barn, tornado shelter, covered porches, greenhouses, etc., spray now with Cobweb Eliminator. Periodic respraying may be needed.

Check tires on all garden carts, wheelbarrows, etc. and make sure they are not flat.

If you have a fenced veggie garden, check the fenceline and fill in any places where varmints may have dug under the fence while searching for food in the winter.

That's about all I can think of at the moment. I am very far south, so some of you in more northern parts of the state will do some things a little later than I do.

Am I on track or on schedule for Feb.? Yes, more or less. My onion plants are ordered, my raised beds are ready for them, and I have my seed potatoes and will start sprouting them in a few days for planting later in the month. I have cole crops, tomato and pepper seeds started. Tools and supplies are on hand and in cool condition. This weekend, I will start some slower growing annual flower seed indoors, including pink and purple Laura Bush petunias.

Mostly, I am just praying for rain so the plants will grow.

Kathy,

When you build the beds, lay down cardboard or very thick layers (20 pages or more) of newspaper on the ground before you add the soil This will keep existing grasses and forbs from sprouting and growing upward through your raised beds. You won't believe how much this helps prevent weed infiltration. Definitely mulch pathways and put down newspaper, cardboard or fabric weedblock under that pathway mulch to keep grasses and weeds from growing in the pathways. Taking the time to prevent weeds at the time new beds are created will pay off later on.

If you do not have an abundance of earthworms in your soil, purchase some and add them to the new beds as soon as they are built. That way, the earthworms can start doing their job and enriching your beds from day one.

And, I think it is a truly lovely gift from your husband and shows that he truly loves you and understands you and he supports your gardening efforts. I'd much rather have a gift like yours that requires time, effort, caring and thought, than a dozen red roses picked up at Wal-Mart on the way home from work. : ) Not, of course, that there is anything wrong with giving someone cut flowers--I just like more 'permanent' gardening-related gifts.

Dawn