Gardening in February

February is traditionally known as the hottest month of the year. With the intense heat we experienced recently it seems like this year will be no exception.

The most important aspect of gardening in summer is adequate watering. I cannot stress the importance of regular deep watering enough. With the current evaporation rates you need to replace at least 25mm of precipitation every week. That can often mean setting your automatic irrigation system for up to 30 minutes or even more per station. We do experience a severe water shortage in Franschhoek at the moment and we are faced with a (hopefully) temporary irrigation ban. This means making the most of what we have; grey water, a bucket in the shower, rainwater and whatever you can get to keep precious plants alive.

February is definitely not the most pleasant month to spend outside in the sun, but if you do feel like slopping on some sunscreen and a hat and venture out into the garden there is enough to do out there. I won't recommend planting anything at this time of the year; rather wait for March's cooler nights and mornings.

Time spent in the rose garden now will be well rewarded in autumn. It is time for a light summer pruning and feeding. Foliage cover is very important; rather leave sad looking bushes alone and feed them with a foliar fertiliser. Mulching is as important as always; it not only keeps the soil temperature down and conserves water, but it also makes weeding a lot easier. It is not a good idea to feed your plants during this heat. Nitrogen causes excessive soft new growth that is easily damaged during hot and windy days. The only exception to the rule is roses which should be fed with a balanced fertiliser after light summer pruning. The heat also brings its own set of pests and diseases. Remember that pests affect mostly stressed or damaged plants and the most effective strategy is to keep your plants as healthy as possible and to encourage as much diversity in your garden as possible to keep up the natural predator numbers. Some pests that abound at the moment are red spider mite, rose chafer- and other beetles, scale and lawn caterpillars. Treat reactively rather than preventatively. You should continue with your preventative program against blackspot and rust on roses though.

A lot of vegetable should be ripening at the moment. Pick tomatoes, courgettes, squash and beans daily. Also pick up fallen fruit before they become infested by fruit fly. I don't recommend sowing anything this month unless you have a shaded seedbed area. Seedlings of some summer vegetables are still available in the nurseries. If you need to plant lettuce do so in a sheltered position and water regularly to prevent bolting.

I will try to share some ideas this year on preserving and storing the abundance of vegetables we often find ourselves with at times. Did you know how easy it is to make your own sun-dried tomatoes? Cut the tomatoes in half (cherry tomatoes also work well and are delicious this way), sprinkle some course sea salt over them and pack them on some newsprint in aerated plastic or wooden crates in a sunny spot. Turn them after a day or two; they will be ready to be stored moist in oil or the freezer within 2 days and will be dry after 3 days, depending on the weather. Tomatoes can also be dried in the oven on baking trays at a temperature of around 70 degrees Celsius for a few hours.

Happy Gardening!

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