15 Gardening Tasks to Do in February: Tips for Your Zone

For most zones, winter isn’t over yet it’s not quite spring. Garden expert and former organic farmer Logan Hailey has a list of the most important tasks to focus on this month based on your zone.

A gardener wearing blue pants and boots uses a large shovel to dig into the soil in a February garden, preparing a row for sowing seeds as part of zone 9 gardening tasks.

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In frigid areas, winter is far from over, but southern zones may have spring on the horizon. Whether planning your garden, starting seeds, or pruning early-flowering perennials, this “limbo” time is actually an important opportunity to prepare for a successful season. 

February can be a quiet month in the outdoor garden, but there is still plenty to do inside. Let’s dig into 15 gardening tasks you can complete in February

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Zones 1-5

While snow is still falling and the ground is frozen, there are plenty of February garden tasks to keep you busy indoors.

Plan Your Garden

A gardener in a red plaid shirt holds a tablet while standing among house potted plants, planning his garden.
Organize your garden goals for a smooth planting season.

A cozy seat by the fireplace is the perfect location to start planning this year’s garden. Whether laying out vegetable beds or organizing your seeding dates on a calendar, planning is crucial to successful harvests throughout the season. 

Epic’s Garden Planner offers a digital starting point to lay out everything from your crop plan to your raised bed layouts while documenting your progress in a garden journal. You can also track your garden’s growth throughout the years to document what works best and what you might do differently next time. 

Don’t go into the season without a plan! Late winter is the prime time to cultivate growing plans, goals, and schedules.

Order Seeds

Multicolored paper bags with various seeds such as lettuce, beets, tomatoes, sunflowers, zinnias and others on a stone surface.
Winter is perfect for planning and ordering your seeds.

If you haven’t already done so, February is one of the best months to cross this garden planning task off the list. Ensure that you order your seeds early so you don’t miss out on your favorite varieties and deals. Perusing physical seed catalogs is a peaceful way to spend a cold winter evening, and shopping for seeds online can offer a nice boost of excitement for the upcoming season.   

Winter Sow Outdoors

Several rows of milk jugs in a snowy winter garden, each containing sown seeds for germination.
Let seeds wake up naturally with the cold weather.

Winter sowing is growing in popularity as a way to plant seeds with snow still on the ground. You can use recycled plastic containers like milk jugs as mini-greenhouses to shelter seeds outside. Planting them in the cold allows for cold stratification during the winter exposure so the seeds can “wake up” naturally with the spring weather.

This saves you a lot of indoor seed starting space and does not require the attentiveness of standard seedlings. Germination timing is based on the weather conditions of your climate, leaving less room for mistakes in the timing of indoor sowing.

Tend and Propagate Houseplants

A woman demonstrates philodendron plant cuttings with thin white roots above terracotta pots and gardening tools for propagating houseplants.
Care for indoor plants with pruning and new pots now.

Most houseplants slow down their growth during the winter months, but there is still plenty to do to keep them happy and even expand their growth. If some of your indoor specimens are in need of new pots or careful pruning, this is the time to focus on them while the outdoor garden is dormant.

You can also propagate many species, like pothos and philodendrons, from cuttings to expand your indoor gardens.

Prune Snow-Damaged Branches

Close-up of a gardener's hands using pruning shears to cut bare tree branches in a snowy garden.
Trim broken branches now to prevent further damage later.

Though snow is still falling and the weather is still frigid, it’s helpful to tackle a few February landscaping tasks that prevent further winter damage

If you notice trees or shrubs with sagging, ripped, or broken branches, use sharp loppers to remove them before they pose a danger to the plant or pets and animals walking under them. This guide has everything you need to know about saving trees from heavy snowfall damage.

Zones 6-8

Spring is much closer on the horizon for anyone in zones 6 through 8. February is the time to nail down your expected last spring frost and tackle all your preparation tasks to ensure strong, vigorous plants in the coming season.

Prepare Your Seed Starting Area

A young woman with glasses sows seeds in a black seed-starting tray filled with soil, on a table with various gardening supplies indoors.
Ensure you have everything for starting seeds indoors.

If you haven’t already ordered your seed starting supplies, it’s important to do so this month. You want to have everything set up in time to get veggies, fruits, flowers, and herbs started indoors. A greenhouse or nursery is ideal, but a warm, south-facing window or grow-light setup works just as well.

Essential seed starting equipment includes:

  • Grow lights or bright windows
  • Germination heat mats
  • Cell trays, soil blocks, or other containers
  • Bottom trays
  • Watering can or hose
  • Seed-starting soil blend

Clean and Sanitize Tools

A woman in gloves sprays disinfectant on red garden shears in a winter garden, with a flowerbed of bare bushes in the background.
Prep your tools with cleaning and sharpening for spring.

If you forgot to clean and store your tools before autumn storage, you will definitely want to get this task done before spring. Cleaning and disinfecting garden tools is as easy as scrubbing with hot, soapy water and then spraying with a diluted bleach solution. Use a sharpening tool to keep cutting edges sharp and smooth for clean pruning.

Sow Flower Seeds

Close-up of a woman's hand gently sowing tiny flower seeds into a bed of rich black soil.
Sow wildflowers and cold-hardy flowers when the ground is workable.

Wildflowers, native perennials, and cold-tolerant cut flower species are ready for direct sowing in February. Black-eyed Susan, agastache, monarda, echinacea, bluebells, gaillardia, lupines, and yarrow are just a few of the gorgeous options that can handle late winter weather. As long as the ground is workable, these seeds will readily germinate as soon as nature signals to them that it’s time to wake up.

You can also start standard warm-season flowers indoors in cell trays. Marigolds, zinnias, snapdragons, and poppies are lovely seeds to sow inside this month.

Sow Long-Season Vegetable Crops

Close-up of a gardener's hands carefully planting onion bulbs into a garden bed in a sunny winter garden.
Early sowing of leeks, onions, and brassicas ensures success.

It may be too early to start tomatoes and zucchini, but this month is ideal for sowing long-season vegetables that take 80 or more days to mature. This includes onions, leeks, celeriac, celery, and brassicas. This February task always makes me feel extra excited for the warming weather and a new garden season!

If your last frost date is less than 8 weeks, you can safely begin crops like peppers and broccoli as well. When frost dates extend more than 10 weeks out, you can either start crops in larger containers or plan to up-pot them before transplanting to prevent rootbinding in small cell trays.

Prune Spring-Flowering Shrubs

A gardener wearing gloves trims the bare branches of a hydrangea bush with large, dry inflorescences at the top using pruning shears.
Prune shrubs now for stronger blooms later.

Roses, butterfly bushes, and crepe myrtles are just a few of the shrubs that you should prune in February. As late winter and early spring blooms fade, deadheading and pruning can ensure better flowering later in the year or next season. This is the time to shape your shrubs, reinvigorate unruly vines, and stimulate fresh new growth.

Take the opportunity to remove any winter-damaged stems or infected foliage. Don’t forget to sharpen and sanitize your pruning tools before you begin. This can help prevent the spread of diseases through your garden. 

Zones 9-12

Subtropical and tropical zones have the most garden task opportunities in February. This cooler season allows you to grow many standard northern crops that could never survive your summer heat. Consider this month full-swing for spring preparations and plantings.

Remove Mulch and Amend Beds

Gloved hands remove sawdust mulch from the garden bed in the winter garden.
Push aside mulch, add compost, and get planting ready.

If you haven’t dug into the garden yet, it’s time to brush away mulch and amend beds with compost to prepare for planting. These organic materials improve soil fertility, microbial activity, and weed suppression. 

Remember, you don’t need to remove mulch from the bed, but any clunky material should be pushed aside to allow for easier planting. You can brush it back in place after seeding or transplanting. If you are growing heavy-feeder crops like brassicas or strawberries, mix in some all-purpose slow-release fertilizer before planting. 

Transplant Cool-Weather Crops

A senior man’s hands plant young cabbage seedlings with purple stems and tiny green leaves into the soil in the garden.
Cool-season crops thrive when started in mild weather.

Cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts usually struggle in the hot summers of zones 9 through 12. Carrots, cilantro, spinach, and arugula are also prone to bolting if they aren’t grown in the cool season. 

Hopefully, you have already started some of these seeds indoors and you can use this window of opportunity to transplant them into the garden. If not, you can always purchase established nursery starts or direct sow seeds into your beds. There is still plenty of time to establish quick-growing crops in the mild weather of February. 

Start Summer Crops

A greenhouse gardener cares for pepper, tomato, zucchini, basil, and other seedlings growing in starter trays on wooden shelves.
Start seeds indoors for tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini.

Tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, winter squash, cucumbers, and eggplant are all ready to be sown! Sow these seeds in your greenhouse or indoor seed-starting area to prepare for transplanting in 4 to 6 weeks. As long as nights are consistently above 40°F (4°C), these crops will eagerly take off. 

In extra-tropical areas, you likely overwinter these plants, in which case they will appreciate a little pruning and cleanup to prepare for another season of vigorous growth.

Harvest Citrus

A woman harvests oranges from trees in a sunny orchard.
Gently twist or snip fruits to avoid branch damage.

Many varieties of limes, lemons, oranges, and other citrus fruits are ready to be harvested now. It’s important to note the key signs that they’re ready to harvest, including bright colors, strong smells, and plumpness. For indoor citrus trees, the timing may be different and fruit can appear more sporadically.

Take care to carefully twist off fruits or use snips to remove them and avoid damaging branches. Taste a few fruits first to ensure they are ripe, as many citrus fruits (particularly limes) stop ripening as soon as they are harvested. 

Plant Native Wildflowers

Close-up of vibrant California poppies and Texas bluebonnets blooming in a sunny garden bed.
Sow native wildflowers for colorful, year-round blooms and growth.

California poppies, Texas bluebonnets, and Florida coreopsis are lovely wildflowers to prioritize as part of your February garden task list. These subtropical and tropical natives are eager to sprout and grow almost year-round, so you don’t have to worry as much about the timing of your sowing. Many even complete several flowering and seeding cycles throughout the season!

Feel free to collect seeds from specimens on your property or purchase a regionally specific wildflower seed blend to scatter-sow around the garden.

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Small green seedlings sprouting from dark material inside a clear plastic container with an open lid.

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