What to Plant this month: February

*For gardening in sub-tropical regions; for gardening schedule for other regions, check out www.gardenate.com

CARROTS & PARSLEY

Carrots

are considered an annual as their seeds need to be planted each year, however they are technically biennials, meaning if you leave the roots in the ground, the tops will flower the following year and produce carrot seed for you—although the second-year carrots themselves will have turned bitter; which is why most people pull the roots and re-seed each year.

Planting

Compatible with (can grow in same bed): Onions, Leeks, Lettuce, Sage, Peas, Radishes, Tomatoes, Beans, Celery, Rosemary.

Avoid growing in same bed: Parsnips, Beetroot, Dill, Brassicas, Fennel.

Care, harvesting & storage

Did you know there are a whole variety of coloured carrots from purple to white? Give some of those a try this year!

Parsley

is a perennial, meaning it comes back each year (provided frost doesn't kill it)...so plant it once and watch it get bigger and bigger each year!

Planting

Compatible with (can grow in same bed): Carrots, Chives, Tomatoes, Asparagus.

Avoid growing in same bed: Potatoes

Care

It enjoys full sun and moist soil, so water regularly.

You can fertilize it with a nitrogen-fertilizer every 4-6 weeks, but it's not necessary if you have adequate soil...

Harvest

By cutting off stems (leave an inch) after 9 weeks of growth; it will keep coming back so harvest often throughout its growing season (19 weeks) to get the most out of the plant.

Storage

Use fresh cuttings right away or store in fridge crisper in a sealed bag for up to a week before it begins to wilt. Parsley freezes great, so chop up your cuttings and place in a freezer bag, removing as much air as possible. You can keep adding chopped cuttings to the same bag. Simply scoop out what you need when you need. Note: the frozen cuttings don't make great garnishes as they are wilted in appearance but they maintain their flavour. You can also dry your herbs and store in old spice jars!

Happy gardening!

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