Organic Gardening In February

YOUR GARDEN IN FEBRUARY

Balsall Heath Jungle is trying to do everything recommended here in the garden at 100 Mary Street. We always need more volunteers to help!

� Seed potatoes should be ordered at this time of year. Jungle can supply Valor �main crop� and Charlotte �early� potatoes this year. Please pre-order them as soon as possible. Last year we ran out. Our potatoes are organic.

� You can start to grow carrots, lettuce, summer cabbage, cauliflowers, spinach, spring onions and turnips on a window sill now. This will give you an early crop in the late spring or summer time.

� Beware of chickweed spreading in your garden. It�s easy to weed out, but can grow, flower and seed throughout the winter so keep watching what�s happening in your growing space.

� If you have a bird box then it should be taken down and cleaned out with boiling water to kill any parasites, before replacing for the birds to nest in. They will repay you by feeding on crop pests in the summertime.

� This is the last chance to carry out winter pruning on apple and pear trees before the buds start to open. Don�t prune stone fruits such as cherries and plums yet - this makes them more likely to get silver leaf disease - wait until the buds open.

� Grease bands need to be tied to fruit trees in February to stop winter moths from climbing the trunk and laying eggs which will destroy young fruits. Even if this was done in the autumn, the bands will need replacing by now. Jungle has a supply for sale to members.