Panhandle Plantings-A new column by Master Gardener Val Ford
February -- and a young man's fancy turns to - potatoes! According to local lore, Valentines' Day is when we should set out potatoes in this part of the world. Fifteen pounds of seed potatoes should plant a 100-foot row and produce 150 pounds of potatoes within 85-110 days. University of Florida recommended varieties include Sebago, Red Pontiac, Atlantic, Red LaSoda, LaRouge and Superior. The more adventurous amongst us may want to try varieties available through various mail-order catalogs, but beware that shipping dates are not always compatible with our growing season.
Other "cool-season" vegetables that can be planted in February include turnips, beets, a last crop of broccoli and cauliflower, carrots, collards, endive and other lettuces, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, bunch and/or multiplying onions, parsley, English peas, and radishes. "Warm-season" vegetables to start are cucumbers, eggplant, peppers and tomatoes, although you may find your sunniest window filled with seedlings until March when frost pays its last respects for the year. Don't forget to prepare the vegetable garden, or annuals bed, for the spring and summer by adding compost at a rate of 1 pound per square foot. This will replenish the organic matter that has been depleted by heat, humidity and last years' plantings.
Ornamental gardeners have a bit of work to do this time of year as well. Azaleas can be transplanted during February, but all other woody-species should already be in place (mid-January is the ideal time for tree and shrub planting in North Florida). Broad-leaved evergreen shrubs should be pruned for size and shape. Summer annuals can be started from seeds to be set out as seedlings sometime after mid-March. February is also the time to plant the following bulbs -- agapanthus, amaryllis, calla, crinums, gladiolus and zephyranthes (rain lillies).
Winter ryegrass lawns may be fertilized (nitrogen only) to promote growth into the late spring. Take care to pay attention to the weather -- if we should have an early spring-warming, competition from winter ryegrass may weaken and/or damage the warm-season lawngrass attempting to emerge. Unfortunately the results of this dichotomy are not always obvious until late spring and are often mistaken for insect damage. If you have only warm-season lawngrass, basic and/or moderate maintenance levels require no effort on your part during February. High maintenance lawn care suggests an application of complete fertilizer (16-4-8) at a rate of 1 pound of nitrogen per 1000 square feet of lawn (i.e. 6 ¼ pounds of 16-4-8 fertilizer per 1000 square feet).
Go ahead gardeners - make some mistakes - but please do so with enthusiasm!
Val Ford is a Holmes County Master Gardener who also writes the weekly "Gardeners' Dirt" column for the Defuniak Herald. If you have gardening questions or problems, contact your local County Extension Office, or Val at Flsnowflake7592@aol.com
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