10 Gardening Activities for February in the Northern California

1. Start Tomato Seeds

It’s time to start tomatoes indoors for planting in the garden in March or April. Stick to your favorite varieties that you’ve likely grown in the past such as Sun Gold, Cherokee Purple, or San Marzano. But try new varieties as well, like Green Zebra, Striped German, Pink Berkely Tie Dye, Yellow Brandywine, Yellow Pear, Indigo Kumkuat, and Ferris Wheel—which can all be found at Johnny's Selected Seeds. Also, try the new Tempting Tomatoes™ varieties from Proven Winners: 'Garden Gem', 'Garden Treasure', and Goodhearted™ (a compact plant that produces lots of fruit in a small space, perfect for containers).

2. Transplant Cool-Season Plants

In Northern California, there are a lot of crops that can be transplanted this month. Depending on where you live and your average last frost date, you can decide on the exact timing. Use this seed sowing calculator to figure out when to transplant crops or even direct sow plants such as arugula, beans, peas, spinach, cilantro, and dill. Annual flowers such as calendula, cosmos, marigold, sunflower, and sweet pea can also be transplanted.

3. Harvest Oranges & Other Citrus

If you live in a warm area of Northern California, then it is likely time to harvest oranges, grapefruit, mandarine, and other citrus. In some areas, the citrus harvest can start in late December and continue through winter. When deciding on ripeness and when to pick fruit, it’s better to rely on taste rather than the color. Taste a few fruits to see if they’re sweet. If the fruit is ripe, then harvest from that area of the tree (the amount of sunlight and heat the fruit gets on different parts of the tree can affect when it ripens). You’ll want to harvest fruit when it’s already ripe because oranges, grapefruits, and tangerines will not ripen more after they’ve been picked. Be sure to protect fruit that’s still on the tree from possible freezes. Remove fallen fruit from below the tree when possible so you don’t attract pests or fungus.

4. Cut Flowering Branches to Bring Indoors

Bringing flowering branches into your home for displays makes for easy décor. All you need are some large vases filled with water (try Ballard Designs or Terrain for vases). Cut branches from your garden when they are budding or when the flowers are just starting to open. Place them in a location in your home where they won’t be hit by warm dry air such as in front of a heater, fireplace, or vent. Saucer magnolias, forsythia, quince, and flowering cherry are all good choices for cut branches.

5. Fill Your Garden with Herbs

Herbs come in many shapes and sizes, so this year consider using them throughout your garden. It’s always nice to have at least one raised bed dedicated to your most beloved varieties of basil, thyme, dill, chives, and many more. There are, however, a number of other ways to use herbs in your garden because herbs come in many forms—from trees to shrubs to flowering perennials. Consider planting ginkgo or tea trees. Find a spot for lemon verbena or rosemary shrubs. Look for a place to plant masses of Echinacea, lavender, or chamomile flowers. Once you have your herb garden, learn more about how to use your bounty. Read Harvest: Unexpected Projects Using 47 Extraordinary Garden Plants, as many of the recipes and projects feature herbs.

6. Plant Artichokes

Artichokes are a summer delicacy. If you want fresh artichoke petals or hearts to eat this summer, it’s time to plant. Artichokes should be grown in well-draining, rich soil that has ample compost. Provide consistent water to keep growth stable and allow the plants to form well-hydrated flowers (the part you eat is actually the flower bud). Look for artichoke plants and seeds at online retailers such as Burpee or Johnnys Selected Seeds.

Aphids and ants are a common issue with artichokes (ants are attracted to aphids). To help reduce the amount of aphids and ants, spray leaves with neem oil. Attracting beneficial insects that eat the aphids will also help. Lady beetles eat aphids so growing plants such as bee balm, cosmos, coreopsis, lemon balm, sunflowers, and yarrow near artichokes will help reduce aphid populations. If you get a large infestation, remove the stalk or plant that’s infested before the pests spread.

7. Continue Pruning Roses

If you didn’t finish pruning roses in January, finish pruning as soon as you can this month. The goal of pruning roses is to force them to rest and stimulate lush new growth that will produce a bounty of flowers. Roses that aren’t pruned often get scraggly and produce fewer, small flowers. To learn more about pruning roses check out Pruning Roses: 8 Steps for Healthy Rose Bushes.

8. Check Irrigation in Your Vegetable Garden

Before your vegetable gardening gets going or while plants are still small, check your irrigation lines to make sure they are working properly. Once plants get large, it can be difficult to change drip lines. Be sure that the water is well distributed across your raised beds or garden beds. You also want to make sure that there are no clogs or large leaks in the lines.

9. Visit Filoli for the Start of Bulbs on Display

February is often the start of the bulb season at Filoli garden, so make plans to visit sometime starting this month through April. Starting early in the season, daffodils, Dutch hyacinths, and early tulips will be in bloom. In February, you’ll also likely catch camellias, magnolias, hellebores, forsythia, and quince as well as other flowering trees and shrubs in bloom. Follow the What's Blooming page on their website or check out this bloom calendar.

10. Watch for the Wildflower Superbloom

When the conditions are just right, California will be covered in a parade of colorful wildflowers from late winter through late-Spring (May or June). From the desert regions to the central coast to the Sierra Nevada foothills, flowers often come in waves that include California poppies, purple desert lavender, ocotillo, lupine, phacelia, California jewelflower, San Joaquin woolly-threads, wild radish, wild mustard, and so many more. Learn more about regions to see California wildflowers as soon as you can to plan a trip (if the bloom comes).