February on the Farm deserves its own blog post because this is the month the farm starts to wake up (and so do we, to be honest)! We seem to have a lull in farm work from about November through January, but come February we are revving back up for all things “farm”.

Read about how farm life impacts homeschool life HERE. 

If you are new to farm life, this may help you as you embark on the homesteading journey. We are about 5 years into living on our micro-farm and every year we feel more in tune with the rhythms of the seasons.

It is a beautiful journey and I can not write about it without praising God and all He has done in our lives through this little farm life we are living. I believe that God is found in nature and He cares about it.

So, here is what we are doing on BorderLine Farm this month. It has been a productive month!

Meyer Lemon Tree – Live Plant in a 1 Gallon Pot – 1 Gallon Sharpblue Blueberry PlantNourishing Jujube Tree Seedlings 15-17 inch Height Illinois Everbearing Mulberry Tree 6-10GURNEY’S – Juliet Dwarf Cherry Tree The Fruit Gardener’s Bible: A Complete Guide to Growing Fruits and Nuts in the Home Garden

February on the Farm

February is the best time for us to plant trees or bushes. We choose at least one fruit or nut variety of dwarf/bush-style to add to our permaculture every year. This year we planted:

• four mulberry trees (including a beautiful weeping variety that is totally fulfilling my desire for a Weeping Willow).
• one fruit tree that has 3 varieties (two plums and one apricot).
• two cherry bushes (rather than trees).
• two blueberry bushes (to add to our several others which are not doing great so far).
• one new-to-us fruit tree called a Li Jujube (we had to buy it since we call our youngest son “Jubee” and it sounds similar).

We also bought another David Austin Rose to plant in Abigail’s Rose Garden. I plan to have that section of our front yard overflowing with roses of all varieties someday! 

Annual Garden Planning

February is also when we plan and order all of the seeds we need for our big annual garden. We almost always order from Johnny’s Seeds. This year we plan to focus on the following:

• sweet potatoes
• onions
• beets
• turnips
• cabbages
• radishes
• squashes
• tomatoes

We will also grow our favorite herbs (basil and cilantro), peppers, green beans, cucumbers, carrots, peas, lettuce, etc. We may try growing corn this year (for the first time) to use for flour (tortillas) and possibly a popcorn variety.

My husband typically mulches and plants cover crops at the end of the harvesting season, but February is when he tops all of our planting areas with compost and other organic amendments. He uses rabbit/chicken fertilizer, wood ash, and a variety of other things as appropriate.

We will be starting seeds in the house come spring (last week of March). We usually start tomatoes and peppers indoors, but we experiment with other plants, too.

My husband has Stevia plants that he has been cultivating. Last year he harvested the Stevia leaves, dried them, and ground them into about a half-pint’s worth of powder. We mostly used it to sweeten our coffee – he brewed it with the coffee in our French Press and it worked great!

GRAB THE FREE GARDEN BASICS FOR MY BEST GARDENING TIPS!

February on the Farm is Also Tree Pruning Time

We prune all of the fruit/nut trees in February. This is still something we do not feel confident in, but we just try, try again!

I hope you enjoyed a look into February on the Farm! Here are a few other articles and resources that you may find helpful:

Homemaker’s Backyard Garden Journal: Planner & Tracker

Garden Seed Starting Tips with FREE Planner

Katahdin Sheep for Small Farm

Why You Should Start A Mini Farm

Emergency Prep List with FREE PDF

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