It’s February, but I like to call it the season of the cloche. That’s because there are so many vegetables you can plant under cloches in February for a head start on the growing season.
An earlier start means stronger plants and an advance on this year’s harvests – and the list of crops you can plant in February gets a whole lot longer when you know how to use a cloche. Vegetables that aren’t quite hardy enough to face late winter frosts, or could just benefit from the extra warmth, are ideal candidates.
I’ve rounded up a list of the best vegetables to plant under cloches in February to inspire you.
What you’ll need
Crocus Kitchen Garden Cloche
An elegant cloche, made from black powder-coated steel and UV-resistant clear plastic, with adjustable air vents.
Christow Small Grow Tunnel Cloche
A two-sectioned cloche with a heavy duty mesh cover for maximum protection against garden pests.
Haxnicks King Size Victorian Bell Garden Cloches (2-Pack)
Extra large bell cloches for the garden, perfect for vegetable beds, with air vents on the top.
1. Carrots
Carrots are among the best vegetables you can plant under cloches in February for early harvests. A little frost protection can boost germination and establishment rates.
‘Root vegetables are slow starters in February, but cloches can make all the difference,’ says YouTube sensation and grow-your-own expert, Huw Richards, who has partnered with watering and hand tools brand, GARDENA.
Choose early varieties like Carrot ‘Early Nantes 5’, from £2.49 at Suttons, which can be sown from February onwards.
‘To allow root crops to thrive, soil maintenance is key,’ Huw adds. ‘Avoid sowing into cold, waterlogged ground – cloches warm the soil, but they don’t fix drainage.’
Long row cloches like the Christow Small Grow Tunnel, £21.24 from Amazon are perfect for protecting rows of carrot seeds throughout their germination and seedling stages.
2. Peas
I always sow peas really early in the year, and I can only do that because cloches exist. February is actually the ideal time to plant peas if you choose early varieties like Pea ‘Meteor’, which you can buy from Thompson & Morgan for £3.99 (it’s one of my all-time favourites for flavour).
‘Make sure you have prepared your soil before sowing so it’s fine and crumbly, not to mention check for any weeds and avoid stomping over it,’ advises Kate Turner, gardening guru at Miracle-Gro.
If you’ll only be growing one or two pea plants, a simple bell cloche like this one, from £9.99, at Thompson & Morgan, is perfect. It’s what I usually use for individual sowings, and the vents on the top ensure plenty of air circulation.
3. Turnips
Turnips are another recommendation of Huw’s for sowing under cloches. Go for early varieties (surprise, surprise), which are better suited to sowing in February.
‘Turnips are one of the roots I reach for first,’ says Huw. ‘Sowing slightly thinner than later in the season reduces the risk of overcrowding, rot and poor root formation.’
Turnip ‘Purple Top Milan’ (you can buy the seeds, 89p from Dobies) is a fast-growing variety that can turn turnips around in as little as 40 days.
4. Onions
There are several alliums you can plant under cloches in February, and onions are one of them. Plant onion sets now (spring-planting sets, specifically), give them a cloche roof over their heads, and they should thrive this growing season.
‘Alliums are some of the most forgiving crops for early sowing, perfect for February conditions,’ says Huw.
‘Onion sets and shallots typically cope better with the cold. Cloches help to protect them from excess moisture, which is often the biggest problem for alliums.’
Onion ‘Sturon’ sets, which you can buy, from £7.99, at Thompson & Morgan, are known for their reliability.
5. Leeks
Besides onions and shallots, leeks are also strong candidates if you’re looking for vegetables to plant under cloches in February.
‘Leeks particularly thrive doing very little for weeks, responding quickly when the temperature rises,’ explains Huw.
‘Ventilation is key. On mild days, I will lift the cloche slightly to move the air around and reduce the risk of fungal diseases.’
You can also buy cloches with built-in air vents, like this kitchen garden cloche, £64.99, from Crocus.
6. Spinach
Now, onto the leafier options. If you want to grow your own superfood, spinach is a stellar choice – and conveniently, it’s one of the best vegetables you can plant under cloches in February.
‘Leafy greens are by far my favourite February sowings under cloches,’ says Huw. ‘Spinach is top of the list as the most cold-tolerant, and it provides the best early harvest.’
You can grow spinach in pots or vegetable beds, depending on the room you have available. You can buy perpetual spinach seeds from £2.49 at Suttons, which are ideal for winter and summer growing.
7. Lettuce
For salad leaves that you can pick-and-pick-and-pick, it’s well worth learning how to grow lettuce. Not only is it an incredibly easy-care crop, but you get plenty of bang for your buck, too. For added protection against frosts and pests, it’s best to protect lettuce with a cloche in February.
‘The advantage of cloches for leafy greens is protection, as opposed to speed,’ says Huw. ‘The plant leaves stay cleaner, slugs are less active, and plants don’t get battered by the wind.’
Huw says it’s okay to expect your crops to ‘pause’ during cold spells.
‘That’s normal,’ he says. ‘Once daylight and warmth increase, they respond very quickly.’
One of the most popular varieties is Lettuce ‘All The Year Round’, 99p, which you can buy from Mr Fothergill’s at Amazon.
8. Radishes
Radishes were one of the very first vegetables I grew when I started gardening, and they’re one of the easiest vegetables you can grow, and among the best vegetables for pots, too. A cloche will warm the soil ahead of early sowings.
‘Add some lime two weeks before sowing to areas where you will be growing brassicas,’ suggests Kate from Miracle-Gro. ‘This will ‘sweeten’ the soil, meaning it lowers the acidity as well as fights off certain types of fungus like clubroot.’
Radish ‘Cherry Belle’, £3.29, from Thompson & Morgan is a favourite of mine for bright red skins and a crisp texture.
If you’ve got a cloche, you can add these vegetables to your list of February garden jobs!
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