As the days become noticeably longer and the sun has some warmth in it, things are beginning to stir in both the soil and the gardener. The old fashioned way of telling when the soil was ready to plant was to lift a handful and smell it. It actually does smell different as all the actinomycetes, fungi and bacteria in the soil start reproducing with the increase in soil temperature. Any fertile soil will have a million microorganisms in a cubic centimeter. Soil is really a living thing and needs to be treated as such.

Garden beds that were planted last year should need a minimum of attention to get them ready for planting. First, take a handful of soil in your hand and squeeze it. If any drop of water is forced out, it is too wet. Stay off the soil as walking on it will cause compaction and affect soil structure.. If it forms a clump in your hand which begins to disintegrate when you open your hand, it can be worked. It is not necessary to dig it deeply again as this will place microorganisms that need to be close to the surface too deep to survive. A very light forking is all that is needed. It is a good time to add lime except where you are to grow potatoes or strawberries. After a fairly wet winter, the soil is going to have suffered leaching of nutrients and be quite acidic. Compost is always good and can be added now or used later as a side dressing for the plants. Manures also are excellent, with chicken having the highest source of nitrogen. Although manures do contain nutrients, they are used more for improving soil tilth. Do use well composted manure as fresh manure can contain pathogens which can get onto leaves of lettuce, etc. Too fresh manure can also burn young roots. Either use commercially produced manure, or compost your manure for a year. Weeds, and any old plant material can be composted, either in the compost bins, or if they are full, in a small pile in your bed. A small circle of chicken wire kept in place with two stakes, will take all your weeds for the year and be composted by the following year.

There are some seeds you can plant by mid February if the weather stays reasonably mild. Broad beans or Fava beans can be planted now as they like cool conditions as does arugula. By the latter half of February you can plant radishes, spinach and the first sowing of peas. These are all cold weather crops but will do better with a plastic row cover or some Remay over them to moderate the temperature. To give your peas a head start, fill a length of gutter with potting soil (you may need to tie it every .5m.) and plant pea seeds about 2-3 cm apart. Place in a cool greenhouse or a warm sheltered part of the yard. Once the peas are about 8-10cm high, prepare a shallow trench for them in the veg garden, running North to South, and carefully push the plants out of the end of the gutter into the trench. This is easier with two people. Firm in gently and water lightly. If you want to start some seedlings indoor, the plastic containers that organic salad mixes come in make good mini growing containers. Punch a few holes in the bottom (a metal skewer heated in a candle flame for a minute does a good job) and use the lid as a cover until the seedlings show. Then remove the cover over 3-4 days by lifting it partially off. The key to success with early seedlings is plenty of light, especially if you are growing them on a window sill.