Hard to believe, but February is almost half over!

 

The good ole Farmer’s Almanac have a great modern online site with lots of great gardening tips tailored to your area. These tips that appear in my post are most relevant for those to live in the Garland/Richardson, Texas area which is mostly in USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 8a. The suggested planting dates in my post are for Zone 8a only. You can go to this link and find the planting dates for your area.

 

 

All gardeners should know the average frost date for their area. A frost date is the average date of the last light freeze in spring or the first light freeze in fall. The classification of freeze temperatures is based on their effect on plants: The nearest climate station to Garland where I live is Richardson, Texas. Our last spring frost is typically March 14 and our first fall frost is typically November 13.

 

Light freeze: 29° to 32°F (-1.7° to 0°C)—tender plants are killed.

Moderate freeze: 25° to 28°F (-3.9° to -2.2°C)—widely destructive to most vegetation.

Severe freeze: 24°F (-4.4°C) and colder—heavy damage to most garden plants.

 

[Note: I saw in a recent forecast for my area that we have one more night of moderate freezing weather in February next Friday, February 17 when the temperature is to dip to 27 degrees. Otherwise, the low temperatures are all predicted above freezing for the rest of February.)

 

We’ll have to wait and see what is predicted for March.

Frost dates are only an estimate based on historical climate data and are not set in stone. The probability of a frost occurring after the spring frost date or before the fall frost date is 30%, which means that there is still a chance of frost occurring before or after the given dates!

 

Feb 13 to Feb 20th Cantaloupes, Cucumbers, Watermelon

Feb 20 to March 6th Pumpkin

Feb 7 to Feb 20th - Carrots

Feb 13 to Feb 20th - Chives

Feb 27 to Mar 14 - Arugula, Beets

Feb 13 to Feb 27 - Parsley

Feb 20 to March 14 Parsnips

January 30 to Feb 20 - Peas. Spinach

February 13 to Mar 6 - Turnips

NOTE: I have already planted some Swiss Chard and Kale down at the Garland Community Garden, but I put straw around the plants to keep them warm.

Feb 13 to March 6 - Broccoli, Cauliflower, Kale, Cabbage

Feb. 20 to Feb 27 Kohlrabi

Feb 27 to March 28 Lettuce

Feb 20 to Feb 27 Swiss Chard