Vegetable Seeds To Sow In February

February is often the coldest, cruellest month out in the garden. But indoors there’s plenty of ground-work still to be done to get our veg patch ready for the spring and summer.

Some gardeners might warn against sowing seeds until March or April when it’s much lighter outside and we’re closer to the last frost. But February is the perfect time to sow tomatoes, chilli peppers and leafy salad seeds and, in some cases, February might even be a little bit on the late side.

And having read through dozens of gardening magazines, books and grow guides and, from my own experience, it turns out there is an incredibly vast range of seeds we should be sowing this month.

In this article and in the video below, I’ll list the seeds to sow in February so that you can get an earlier harvest than the nay-sayers and, with a bit of luck, you might be able to stop eating those mediocre store-bought tomatoes by June.

*Some links in this article are affiliate links. Commission may be earned on purchases made through them. Click here for more information about how I use affiliate links.

Tomato Seeds Are Traditionally Sown In February

Tomatoes need a longer growing season here in the UK than they do in warmer, sunnier parts of the world. However it is a fine balancing act, as our late last frosts and high latitude that the risk of plants going leggy before they can be planted out is much higher than for Mediterranean or US-based growers.

For very early sowings, one way of overcoming this problem is by using grow lights. But if you sow seeds in the middle or the end of February, a south facing windowsill should be all it takes to stop plants from going leggy and to get that all-important early harvest.

Cherry tomato varieties like Sungold and Honeycomb require less light than salad or beefsteak tomatoes and these two are very early croppers, meaning a February sowing might get you a June or July harvest. Alternatively, try growing purple cherry varieties like Indigo Rose or Purple Bumblebee.

Costoluto Fiorentino is my go-to heirloom beefsteak tomato being an older, traditional variety, and has an RHS Award of Garden Merit. Meanwhile Purple Cherokee produces much darker fruits and Brandywine Pink forms much lighter fruits and is one of the most popular heirlooms in the US.

You can follow these instructions on the best way of sowing tomato seeds or follow the steps in the video below. In some locations you might need to use grow lights and you can find out how powerful your lights need to be to stop tomato seedlings from going leggy in this article.

You Can Still Sow Pepper and Chilli Pepper Seeds In February

Chilli peppers and sweet peppers can take an awful long time to germinate, to grow and to ripen. Therefore it’s recommended that you start seeds in January, but you can sow seeds in February and March if you take a few steps to help them germinate faster.

Sowing chilli and pepper seeds is relatively straight forward. Find a free-draining seed starting mix or potting mix and a way of keeping humidity high and the soil mixture moist. I use propagator cell trays to achieve this but any kind of air-tight cover will work.

I also pre-soak (prime) my chilli pepper seeds in tea for 24-48 hours before sowing. Then I place my filled propagator tray on a shelf above my boiler flue, which acts as a heat mat. The extra heat will speed up germination that could otherwise take three or four weeks.

I grow chilli pepper varieties like De Cayenne, Padron, Habanero and Portugal, as well as sweet peppers like Corno di Toro Rosso. Bell peppers like King of the North do well in cooler climates, while California Wonder will benefit from additional warmth.

You can follow my step-by-step guide on how to sow pepper seeds here which includes a video to demonstrate the process.

You Can Start Aubergines (Eggplants) In February

February is a great time to sow Aubergine seeds. These plants take even longer to produce ripe fruit than peppers and, for the best chance of success, it can be worth growing fast-maturing high-cropping varieties like Moneymaker — especially in cooler climates.

Most growers I know tend to stick to the more attractive varieties of aubergine like Black Beauty, which produces a deep purple coloured aubergine. You might also see varieties like Listada de Gandia and Pinstripe as they produce white stripes down the length of the fruit.

And if you really want to grow ‘eggplants’, you could grow actual eggplants (they are a white variety of aubergine).

You can watch the video at the top of the article or the one immediately above this sentence for instructions on how to sow aubergine seeds.

February Is Not Too Late To Sow Onion Seeds

Onions need a lot of time to fully form their enormous bulbs and don’t take up much space for the first few months, so you should sow onion seeds as soon as you can. However they can always be eaten immature and you could grow spring onions much later into the year.

Sow Onion seeds into the surface of a loose potting mix, about 1 cm apart, and covering loosely with more compost. Find them a warm windowsill and leave them to germinate. If you sow one seed per cell, you could potentially leave them in their container until it’s time to plant them in the ground.

You can grow white onion varieties like Stuttgart from set. From seed, you can grow Sturon, a great all-rounder that’s resistant to bolting and disease, tastes great and stores well. Red varieties like Red Baron are great storers that can also be grown from seed.

You Can Still Plant Garlic In February

While autumn is the most popular time to plant garlic cloves, you can keep planting them right up the February if you can find a week when the ground isn’t frozen. That will give the bulb long enough to form for a harvest in August or September.

One advantage of planting so late is that you avoid some of the disease issues, including allium rust, during the wetter start of the season and your bulbs are less likely to rot in clay soil if you wait until after the worst of a boggy winter.

Varieties like Early Purple Wight take less time to form and are suitable for winter planting, while varieties like Germidour are particularly tasty. Both are easy to grow using a dibber to ensure the correct spacing (20cm / 6in) and planting depth (the tip should be an inch below the surface).

And You Can Sow Leeks From Seed Too!

It’s an allium full-house in February as there is still time to sow leek seeds. Like onions, leeks also take a long time to fully develop and are often grown as a biennial. But if you sow them early in the year, you should be able to start harvesting your own leeks through late autumn and winter.

The sowing method for lekks is much like onion seeds. You’ll want to sow leek seeds inside this time of year and sow either one seed per cell or thin them out before they get too large. I always prefer to sow one per cell and then replace any that don’t germinate because it’s much less work.

Varieties like Musselburgh produce thick and winter hardy stems ready from October onwards that can be left in the soil until you need to eat them, while Lyon grows uniform straight shanks and tidy flags and can produce a crop as early as September.

Lettuce Can Be Sown Undercover In February

February is a great month to start sowing lettuce in earnest for growing under cover indoors or in a greenhouse and, towards the end of the month, for growing transplants ready to plant out after the last frost.

Sow lettuce seeds very shallowly in a container filled with loose potting mix. Germination is really quick, often only taking about a week — although this year mine germinated in only two days, so be prepared with a south-facing windowsill or some grow lights.

This year I’ve already started growing Jericho, a romaine variety which can tolerate dry, hot summers, making it less likely to bolt. It also has good resistance to mildew.

Butternut varieties like Winter Density have great cold weather tolerance and early croppers like Winter Greenhouse ‘Brighton’ can be started in Winter and harvested by spring, meaning it’s possible to grow lettuce all year round.

You Can Sow Spinach In February

Spinach is the king of salads and it’s time has finally come. You can sow spinach from seed from late January and into February if protected from frosts and, from March, you can start sowing seeds outdoors in some areas.

Spinach is a cool weather crop that grows best either side of the height of summer. However it isn’t perennial, so it’s best to sow a batch now and again throughout the summer to replace any that bolt and go to seed.

I always have a patch of Renegade growing somewhere in the garden and eat it as a ‘cut and come again’ crop until it goes to seed in the summer and self-seeds a new patch through the autumn.

Spinach is not to be confused with perpetual spinach which is strictly a beet but is bolt and winter resistant, or Malabar spinach, which is a tropical climbing plant that grows perennially in warmer climates. These alternatives can be sown from March and April.

Sow Peas Indoors In February

Peas are certainly a hardier crop but not hardy enough for the worst of British winters. So towards the end of the month you can start growing peas from seeds undercover ready to plant out in April or May.

Fresh garden peas are a tasty snack to enjoy as you go around the garden doing light jobs and checking for any pests. They are also one of the earlier crops that you will get to enjoy and they should be ready to eat before the peak of summer as they aren’t heat tolerant.

I like to grow tall-climbing high-yielding maincrop peas like Terrain early in the season, alongside super fast growing first-early peas like Meteor, before swapping entirely to shorter, sweet varieties such as Klevedon Wonder and the hardy Douce Provence in late winter.

Start Broad Beans (Favabeans) In February

Broad beans can be sown in February as they will be able to withstand the cooler weather and be planted out before the last frosts. You can sow them in February in pots under cover or directly sow outside towards the end of the month and into March if the weather is particularly mild and dry.

Aquadulche type broad beans will take a few weeks to germinate and can be grown in containers until late March or April, at which point you can plant them in the ground without needing to protect them. Just give them some supports to stay upright and you’ll enjoy harvests by May.

Try Sowing Globe Artichoke In February

From mid-February onwards, you can think about starting globe artichokes from seed. This plant is usually grown as a perennial and it is recommended that you cut off the flowering stalks in the first year to help it develop roots, but if you’re impatient you can also grow it as an annual plant.

The classic Green Globe variety, pictured above, is a great place to start and produces thick, fleshy green scales, but you can also grow colourful varieties such as Purple de Provence.

Globe artichokes are also a great plant to grow to support pollinators and it can add unique structure to the garden, for those of you who like to grow beautiful edible veg patches.

Grow Radishes Under Cover In February

Radishes are an absolute trooper, so it’s no wonder that you can start growing them from seed undercover. They’ll only take a few days to germinate and may need some extra light if you plan on growing them inside but they are relatively hardy and will survive outside with some protection.

French Breakfast is everyone’s go-to variety but summer varieties like Sparkler and Icicle are suitable for growing early in the year. From March onwards, you might be able to start growing them outside in a (heated) greenhouse and, from late April onwards, in the soil if covered with fleece.

Sow Turnip Seeds Too!

Much like radishes, February is the month when you can start thinking about sowing turnips, being very close relatives. My growing advice is therefore similar, however turnip bulbs take a longer time to develop and may benefit from being sown a little later and protected from frost for longer.

I’m also not a turnip connoisseur, having only sampled Purple White and purchasing but forgetting to sow the yellow variety Golden Globe. However turnips come in many colours, including white as in the case of Snowball and black as in the case of this traditional winter-hardy radish.

Start Sowing Cabbage Seed In February

You can start sowing summer cabbage seed under cover from late February onwards and make direct sowing in drills outside from late March through to May. But wait a bit longer for autumn, winter and spring cabbage varieties which can be left until April.

Varieties like ‘Golden Acre‘ and the aptly named ‘Earliest of All‘ are great early summer cabbages to get started with. And later on in the year you might want to try the savoy cabbage ‘Tundra‘ which is a great winter hardy cabbage awarded an RHS AGM and can be grown down to -15°C / 5°F.

You’ll want to cover your cabbages with some kind of net to prevent cabbage white moths and butterflies from laying eggs on your crops. As that popular book once warned me, caterpillars truly are very hungry…

Cauliflower Can Be Sown In February

Cauliflower is a great crop to start growing in winter as they take a long time to reach their full size. Young plants can also struggle in the summer heat so February is a fairly optimal time to start sowing cauliflower seeds.

Varieties like Snowball are great for harvesting in summer, while All The Year Round is hardy enough to keep giving you harvests through the winter and into March. However I prefer growing the highly geometric variety, Romanesco Precoce, and Di Sicilia Violetto which produces a bright purple head.

You’ll want to protect your seedlings from frost (which encourages bolting) and protect any winter heads of cauliflower using a fleece. And, like cabbage, you’ll want to protect your plants from pests under a net, so it can be useful to grow them together as part of your brassica rotation.

Sow Purple Sprouting Broccoli Seeds

I was a very fussy child and still only eat broccoli when its drenched in butter or cream, but purple sprouting broccoli is another thing entirely. Maybe it’s because you can harvest in smaller, more manageable amounts, maybe it’s that slightly sweeter flavour or softer texture, maybe it’s because there isn’t much else to get excited about in the depths of winter. Maybe it’s because I like purple veg…

Either way I always enjoy growing purple sprouting broccoli and, being such a low maintenance plant, it’s a great one to have sitting in the garden, adding height in the autumn and winter months. It’s are also one of the few plants that reliably crops during the hungry gap.

You can sow seeds like Early Purple towards the end of February and through to May. Protect them like you would cabbage or cauliflower and you should be able to enjoy your first harvest this time next year!

Try Growing Kohlrabi From Seed From February Onwards

Kohlrabi is an uncommon vegetable to find in shops outside central Europe but it’s a great crop to grow at home from seed. A brassica, entirely edible but mainly grown for it’s root ball, much like turnips or radishes, it can be eaten raw, roasted, or included in a wide range of dishes.

These alien-looking plants are most commonly found as green or white kinds like White Vienna and, perhaps more famously, in purple varieties such as Azur Star or Purple Vienna.

Start seeds towards the end of the month in containers under cover as you would other brassicas. Then harden them off in April and plant them in your brassica bed in May after the last frost.

Start Growing Your Brussels Sprouts

The last brassica on February’s list is Brussels sprouts – the marmite of the vegetable world. I fall firmly in Mark Corrigan’s ‘they aren’t traditional at Christmas’ camp as sprouts didn’t appear on our plates until Napoleon marched into Italy, and I’ve mostly avoided eating them — which is for the best, as store-bought sprouts supposedly taste nothing like homegrown!

Sprouts will take a long time to grow until they are ready to harvest, usually ripening after the first December frost. So it’s best to avoid sowing seeds late to ensure a timely Christmas harvest. You can sow another batch in March and April for repeat harvests through the winter.

Monty Don points out in his book ‘The Complete Gardener‘ that Brussels sprouts on modern F1 varieties will crop all at once, while heirloom varieties tend to ripen one at a time. He suggests Bedford Fillbasket and Evesham Special as heirloom varieties but makes no comment on their taste. However, Monty does write that he “regards Christmas dinner as incomplete without [sprouts]” so, presumably, they are fairly good choices.

Sow Carrots In Containers In February

And if you’re into growing carrots in containers, then February is a great month to get started. Using a trough-like container and fresh compost (to avoid any overwintering pests), you can start seeds indoors, harden them off and then move them into a greenhouse once they have germinated.

For container growers (or fussy eaters), I always recommend short Chantenay carrots which are short and sweet but you can always grow longer carrots if your container is tall enough. Carrots weren’t traditionally orange so it can be fun to grow a rainbow mix or white varieties like ‘Lunar‘.

Container growing avoids many common issues including carrot fly, waterlogging and limited germination so, if you haven’t tried it before, consider sowing some carrot seeds inside towards the end of the month, following the instructions in the video above.

And Keep Sowing More Herb Seeds!

As the days begin to get get longer and longer, our windowsills become bright enough to start growing more and more herbs. Basil, oregano, sage, rosemary, coriander (cilantro), parsley — most herbs can be started indoors towards the end of February without the need for extra light.

You can grow herbs indoors on a bright sunny windowsill or transplant them outside after the last frost. I tend to do both: indoors for the convenience while cooking and outside for the benefit of deterring pests in my veg beds and enhancing the flavour of tomatoes grown in nearby soil.

Place seeds on or near the surface of a loose and free-draining seed starting or potting mix and then cover lightly with more mix. Moisten the soil and cover with cling film and leave them on a windowsill to germinate.

You Can Start Growing Marigolds In February Too!

February is also when we can start growing companion plants including Marigolds. Many marigold varieties are edible, so as well as feeding the wildlife and defending against garden pests like aphids, if we grow the right varieties we can also nourish our bellies.

Save growing pot marigold (Calendula officinalis) and African marigolds (Tagetes erecta) until the very end of the month or maybe even wait until March, but you can get started with your French marigolds (Tagetes patula) much earlier.

French marigolds come in a wide variety of colours and patterns. Some varieties have gradients of colour along the length of the flowers, others have deep rich petals with light bright trim and this one even has alternating stripes like an umbrella or a bumblebee.

My favourite variety is Single Legion of Honour. Every winter I collect the dried seed and scatter it around the garden. I also collect some seed, sow it in late February and the first flowers will usually appear around the time of the last frost, letting me know that spring is finally here.

You Might Need To Use Grow Lights For The Best Results

Most of the seeds that you’ll sow in February need more light than the sun can give them — especially if you haven’t got any south facing windowsills!

It’s therefore important to create a space where you can provide artificial light to get your plants through the coldest, darkest winter months. Cheap grow lights that you find online have a bad reputation but, if setup correctly, can provide more than enough light to grow vegetable seedlings.

Last year I tested them by growing multiple different tomato varieties at several distances to find out how much light you need to grow tomato seedlings without them going leggy and published my results. If you want to make sure that you are giving your plants enough light, go and read that article or watch the video version here.

Otherwise, as always, happy gardening!

Are Cheap Grow Lights Bright Enough For Tomato Seedlings?