Yes, You Can Direct Sow in February

Last week I walked outside in the rain and stuck seeds directly in the ground. My neighbor gave me a look. I gave her radishes three weeks later.

February gets a bad reputation in the Pacific Northwest. Grey, wet, cold-ish. But “cold-ish” is doing a lot of work there. We’re zone 8b. Soil temps in February are usually sitting somewhere between 40 and 48 degrees, and a surprising number of vegetables think that’s perfectly fine. More than fine, actually.

The mistake I made my first few years was treating February like January. Staying inside, flipping through seed catalogs, telling myself I’d start things “soon.” Meanwhile the ground was just sitting there, ready, slightly offended.

What Actually Goes In the Ground Right Now

Not everything. Don’t get carried away. But there’s a solid list of cool season crops that germinate at soil temps as low as 40 degrees, and most of them are cheap seed to begin with.

Spinach is probably your best bet for February. It germinates reliably at 40-50 degrees and actually prefers a cold start. Same with cold-hardy spinach varieties bred specifically for early season sowing. I’ve had good luck with anything labeled “winter” something.

Radishes are fast and basically unfazed by cold. If you’re impatient (I am), radishes are your friend. 25 days to harvest on a good run. Which, if you think about it, is faster than I manage to return emails.

Arugula goes in now. Mache goes in now. Both are almost aggressively cold tolerant and both will bolt the second summer shows up anyway, so you might as well use the cold while you have it. Claytonia too, if you’ve got it. Great cut-and-come-again green that almost nobody grows and everybody should.

Peas can go in mid-to-late February here. I usually aim for President’s Day weekend as my mental marker. Not because there’s anything special about that date, just because I needed something to stick in my brain and it worked. Sugar snap, snow peas, shelling peas. All of them. Soak them overnight first and you’ll see better germination.

Kale and chard can go in as transplants or direct sow right now, though direct sow will take a little longer to get going. Honestly, I usually start those indoors in late January under my grow light and transplant out in March. But if you missed that window, direct sow is not a disaster.

A Few Things That Helped Me Actually Follow Through

I picked up a cheap soil thermometer a couple years back. Under $10 at a local garden center, and it completely changed how I think about early spring planting. I stopped guessing and started checking. Turns out February soil in Redmond is warmer than it feels when you’re standing in the drizzle in your slippers.

The other thing that helped was covering beds with a low tunnel or even just a piece of row cover fabric laid directly on the soil a week or two before planting. It bumps soil temps up a few degrees and keeps the worst of the rain from compacting the surface. I’ve got some row cover fabric I’ve been reusing for four seasons now. Cheapest insurance I own.

One thing I got wrong early on: I prepped my beds in February and then waited for a “dry day” to plant. In Redmond. In February. Long story short, I planted in the rain in March and everything was fine. Don’t wait for a dry day. There’s not going to be a dry day. You know this.

The Part About Spacing That I Always Ignore and Then Regret

Spinach, arugula, and mache can be broadcast sown pretty thickly and then thinned. The thinnings are edible. This is the one time being messy with seeds actually pays off. Radishes need more space than you think, roughly two inches between plants, and I always sow them too close and get a bunch of weird forked roots. Every year. Without fail. This is my confession.

Peas want six inches minimum. Give them something to climb even if it’s just some sticks and twine. They’ll find it.

So Why Bother in February at All

Because by the time May rolls around and the rest of the neighborhood is just starting to plant, you’ll have already harvested a full round of radishes and spinach and be on your second sowing of arugula. That’s more food for basically no extra cost, since you’re using the same beds you’d be using anyway.

February planting in the Pacific Northwest isn’t optimism. It’s just math. The ground is ready before we are. Lettuce not waste it.

Photo by fr0ggy5 on Unsplash