CHICO — Did you know that February in California is actually a great time to start many popular crops and plants? Some of the most versatile and delicious home plants need lots of time to grow and benefit from an early start as seedlings this month.
That makes this time of year a good time to add to your garden or start an indoor one for the first time. If you haven’t begun a Victory Garden before, now’s the time!
What to plant
February may not seem the most opportune for planting, but with Chico’s hot summers and mild springs, starting earlier can actually be a great way to get ahead of growing season particularly for slow-growing crops.
Below are some good starter crops to get fertilized. You want long-growth crops at this time of year, to allow for a strong plant that will survive into Chico’s warm spring and summer, and maximize the potential spring sunlight the crop could get. Start your seeds at least 4 to 6 weeks before the outdoor planting season begins, or even earlier to produce a more mature plant to transplant.
All dates here are based on starting a garden in the first weeks of February.
1. There are some flowers that can gradually grow indoors before slow exposure to cooler temperatures. Heliotrope, delphinium, candytuft, violas, impatiens and snapdragons can all begin inside.
2. Outdoors: you can start lilies, winter shrubs or bare foot roses now to get a jump on growing before the heat of summer.
3. Tomatoes. Start indoors, and give the seeds at least 6-8 weeks
4. Peppers. Start these even earlier, about 8-10 weeks ahead.
5. To sow: leeks and peas.
6. Fruit
7. Pumpkins
8. Watermelon/cantaloupe/honeydew
9. Strawberries
10. Lettuce, chard or eggplant. A wide variety of spring mixes can be begun this month and really bloom in March.
11. Broccoli or cabbage can also handle cooler temperatures if managed carefully.
12. Herbs. Start basil, oregano, parsley, dill, mints, thyme and sage now. The seedlings can then be transplanted into containers on your patio, or directly into an outside garden. But be advised: basil and parsley are very sensitive to cold and do not survive temperatures below freezing.
13. If you have light soil, you can now start garlic and shallots. Don’t start yet if you have heavy soil.
Before you begin planting, make sure you are able to give different seeds what they need, depending on what your options are. Some plants are fine to start indoors, like herbs, tomatoes and peppers, but others can start in light soil under cover to begin growing before spring. Check the packet of seeds or the instructions with each seedling to make sure you have what each unique plant requires to grow.
Why a Victory Garden?
Also called the war garden or food garden, in wartime these were pushed by the U.S. government as a way for Americans to grow their own food and reduce pressure on the domestic market during food shortages.
Nowadays, growing a victory garden still has the purpose of producing one’s own food and gaining more independence from grocery shopping. It can also be a great way to learn about maintaining different crops at different times of the year, and the added benefit of learning to cook a variety of different harvests at home from scratch (or in your slow cooker) is a lot of fun.
If you’re interested in continuing to grow this season or to start such a garden with some help, contact the Butte County Local Food Network — they’re putting on a Victory Garden and Bucket Blitz event accepting applications by Feb. 29.
If approved, the network provides a package with a compostable weed cover for under your garden, a raised bed wood box, healthy soil, six plants, mulch and three mentoring sessions. A fee applies or you can apply for a full or partial scholarship garden. Gardens will be installed in all yards the week of March 15. Visit the https://bclocalfood.org/victory-gardens for more information.