🌱 Garden Notes February 2026
Zones 8a & 8b
February is all about late-winter care and getting a jump on spring. Gardeners in Zones 8a and 8b should focus on cleaning up beds, pruning dormant trees and shrubs, improving soil, and starting seeds. As soon as the soil is workable, it’s time to sow cold-hardy crops outdoors while warm-season plants get started indoors.
Zone 8a Average Last Spring Frost April 1-15 / Average First Fall Frost Nov 1-15
Zone 8b Average Last Spring Frost March 15-April 1 / Average First Fall Frost Nov 15-25
ALWAYS REMEMBER:
All dates are contingent on weather. Keep a close eye on conditions and adjust as needed.
🌿 Key February Tasks
Cleanup & Maintenance
Remove winter debris and dead foliage to prevent disease
Refresh mulch in garden beds
Clean, sharpen, and oil garden tools
Pruning
Prune fruit trees, roses, and ornamental trees while dormant
Wait to prune spring-flowering shrubs until after they bloom
📚 Join us for our Pruning Library Talk on February 18!
Soil Preparation
Amend garden soil with compost to get beds ready for spring planting
Starting Seeds (Indoors)
Peppers (6–8 weeks before transplanting)
Tomatoes, eggplant, and herbs
Direct Sowing (Outdoors)
Plant once soil is workable:
Asparagus, broccoli, carrots, kale
Lettuce, onions, peas
Potatoes, radishes, spinach, turnips
Planting & Dividing
Plant bare-root trees, shrubs, and fruit bushes
Divide overcrowded perennial flowers
🌡 Zone-Specific Notes
Zone 8a (10–15°F):
Be prepared for late frosts
Use frost blankets on newly emerged greens
Zone 8b (15–20°F):
Typically warmer, allowing slightly earlier direct seeding of hardy vegetables
🥕 Vegetables & Herbs
Direct Sow (Outdoors)
Root Crops:
Carrots, radishes, turnips, parsnips, beets
Greens:
Spinach, kale, Swiss chard, mustard greens, arugula
Legumes:
Peas (English, snap, snow)
Alliums:
Onion sets, garlic, shallots
Other:
Potatoes (around Valentine’s Day 💘)
Asparagus crowns, rhubarb
Herbs:
Cilantro, chives
Start Indoors
Cole Crops:
Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts
Warm Season (late February):
Tomatoes and peppers (6–8 weeks before last frost)
Other:
Celery, parsley
🌸 Flowers
Start Indoors:
Zinnias, marigolds, geraniums
Plant Outdoors:
Divide perennials such as daylilies and irises
🌼 Final February Tips
Use floating row covers to protect young brassicas from frost and moths
Zone 8a typically has a later last frost date than 8b—adjust timing if a freeze is forecast