February Musings 2026
February greetings fellow gardeners and nature enthusiasts,
It’s the 12th of the month, and I’m torn between starting this blog and grabbing the clickah to catch more of the Olympics. I am incapable of watching and writing at the same time, so watching wins. I easily justify this move because these great winter games only happen every 4 years. More medals, America!
I’m back now. The sun is shining, and there’s a reprieve from the incessant cold and snow. I am so fed up with shoveling and shivering! I open the door, and I smell spring!
Yesterday, I noticed on the way to the chicken coop that the wild bird chatter had changed. I heard the “weet, weet, weet” of the titmouse in the distance. The snow had melted in the birdbath, and 3 different species were vying for a bath. Nuts, they are! Gene had heard a cardinal call quite some time back, but I heard that familiar whistle for the first time today. As I rounded the corner of the house, I watched several bluebirds flit from the garden arbor to the bluebird house, then to a nearby trellis, then back again, all the while challenging each other for the real estate.
Speaking of bluebirds, Gene and I were sitting at the dining room table last night as dusk approached. We see a couple of bluebirds alight on that same arbor. The male darts into the bluebird house, approves the interior, flies back up to invite the female to check it out. She obliges and remains inside for a long moment. He takes this as an affirmation and scoots back in. Within a couple of seconds, they both bullet out as she exclaims, ”I’m def not shackin’ up with you”, and he replies, “Ya? Well, your feet are way too cold anyway!” And they’re gone. Meanwhile, Gene and I are splitting a gut from laughing so hard. After all, we are never, ever anthropomorphic.
In last month’s blog, I mentioned that I would review my methods for indoor seeding. I have not yet begun, as it’s still too early for me. I hope that you will take some helpful tips from my procedure as you prepare.
Backing up a moment, I believe that one of the best things I do is to sterilize all my recycled cellpacs, tomato cages, stakes, poles, and transplant pots. I do this on a relatively warm day in the late fall by half-filling a 50-gallon stock tank with water and adding enough bleach to make about a 10% solution. I dip and swish everything, and then lay each piece out on the driveway to dry in the sun. I then store them in a dry, clean space for the winter. I rarely have a problem with dampening off or any other disease once I seed and most importantly, when germination occurs.
So you’re rearing to go come the beginning of March, right? Start by choosing a good seed starting mix. I like Coast of Maine Sprout Island Mix, as it is mostly compost-based rather than peat-based (save our bogs!). It’s always a good idea to muster all your necessary supplies before you start. That way, you won’t be backtracking to find stuff at an inconvenient time. Have on hand starting mix, cellpacs (606 deep inserts that fit into trays without holes are great), humidity domes (I like the 7” high ones, which bide time before transplanting), heat mats (so important), labels, pencil. Did I forget anything? Oh ya, the SEEDS!
Now you’re ready to go. Place the starting mix in a large container- in my case, a potting wheel. Add enough water to fully moisten the medium, but do not soak. Fill your cellpacs to ½” from the top. I press each cell very lightly to avoid too much airspace. Before you proceed, make sure you label now. Gene emphasizes in his seed starting seminars (next one 2/21/26 at 10 AM) that this is the most important step, one that too many of us forego. I often have more than one variety in a 6-pack, so I have to know what’s what and how many. I then carefully place 1 or 2 seeds per cell, press lightly again (you’ll still see the seeds on top) and then cover the seeds with a sprinkling of soil (for small seeds just 1/8-1/4”. Large seeds such as the peas and beans I press down a little more than ½” to give them better anchorage once germinated. I then cover the trays with humidity domes, making sure they are vented, and I’m ready to place trays on heat mats in my sunny south windows. It’s now important to watch moisture. I use a trigger sprayer to mist the contents once I see the first signs of drying. Remember, do not soak. Once germination has occurred and everybody has a foothold, I switch to a small watering can with a small opening to its spout. I don’t want my babies to get bowled over by a flood of water.
Because it gets very warm in these windows, growth happens rather quickly. I’m inclined for the hardiest to move down cellar to our south-facing windows. It’s definitely cooler there. This technique slows things down so that I don’t have to transplant so soon. At this time, I will begin to apply a weak solution of all-natural liquid fertilizer once a week or so, watching that everybody is happy (and staying stocky).
My goal is to get plants ready to harden off outside and then go directly to the garden. With peas, I do this without transplanting. I will seed probably 2/25. Peas love cool weather but not cold or wet soil. I have to be careful on timing. Most likely, they will be in their permanent garden spots by or before 4/10. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and others will all have to be transplanted and grown further on inside before their trip to the garden. This all takes patience and TLC. You will be rewarded.
Just a few words about outside plant observations. Rhododendrons with a side facing south already appear damaged, with leaves very browned. This is due to several factors- extreme cold, wind, and sun scald (reflection off of snow). Overall, I feel this will be a tough winter on a lot of plant material. I hope to have a few good pictures next month.
On the plus side, the snow cover will protect the plants below, that is, if the rodents don’t have a hay day munching away to their little hearts’ content. I hope my repellents have somehow done their job. Grrr… I see rabbits have somehow bounded over fluffy snow to reach my chokeberries, digging down and chowing off every lower branch they could reach. An abundant scattering of twigs, apparently not quite tasty enough, lie helter-skelter atop the snow- plus a hefty load of poop litters the area.
And that’s the life of this gardener. That’s it for now.
Judy