This beautiful cardoon is in the same family as the artichoke, just one of the vegetables I sow in February. Here together with a black-eyed Susan.

Can you really sow in February? The answer is yes! It might not seem like it, but there are plenty of possibilities even this time of the year. I do of course do many small sowings all year round, and some vegetables are extra suited for winter sowings.

Read more: March gardening

For those of you who are new to my website, I post a list of vegetables that you can sow every month of the year. I live in zone 3, so feel free to adapt the list to your climate of course!

What to sow in February:

Inside in pots:

Cucumber
Pea shoots
Miniature bell peppers
Garlic leaves
Lettuce

Pre-sow indoors and plant outside later:

Celery
Leek
Cardoon
Artichoke
Cape gooseberry
Dwarf tamarillo
Marjoram
Thyme

Pre-sow indoors and plant in polytunnel later:

Eggplant
Bell pepper
Cape gooseberry
Broccoli

Grow in a hotbed in my polytunnel: 

Purslane
Spinach
Lettuce
Dill
Beets (grown for their leaves)
Arugula
Pea shoots
Bok choy
Red orache
Radish

Polytunnel:

Spinach
Arugula
Turnip
Summer carrot
Dill
Pea shoots
Radish
Orache
Parsley
Lettuce
Beets
Scallions

Winter-sown/pre-sown plants in the polytunnel

Black kale
Green kale
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Pointed cabbage
Cauliflower
Flowering cabbage
Purple kale

Cold frame outside:

Spinach
Lettuce
Arugula
Summer carrot
Kohlrabi
Broccoli
Parsley
Summer flowers

The vegetable cardoon (in the top picture) is a thistle, just like the artichoke. You don't actually eat the flower bud though, but the stems instead. Simply put newspapers or burlap around them before harvesting, so that they become a little pale. Then you eat them boiled with butter. They are supposed to taste similar to asparagus. I have grown them for three years now, but I couldn't bring myself to harvest them yet. Cardoon is just so pretty! But maybe this year...

More light and thawed soil

As you can see, I start early with plenty of vegetables. Some people might not know that you can sow seeds in cold soil and probably heard stories about seeds rotting etc. That can of course happen. Some seeds are not suited for winter sowing, for example, some gourds and beans. That's why I left them off the list, other than for pre-sowing indoors of course. By now, I really know which vegetables I can sow early. This is actually really useful knowledge!

Watch the video below to learn more about how I sow in cold soil, and which vegetables you should use:

Some books and magazines tell us that we shouldn't sow winter vegetables, simply because the harvest might be smaller. And of course, your plants might not be huge. I still think that it's worth it though!  The winter vegetables definitely make a big difference in our household, a family of six.
/Sara Bäckmo