My grass is really long, but as a Garden Editor, even I'm not mowing it yet – this is why it's such a risk in February

Besides the near-constant rain we’ve had so far, the weather has been relatively mild this year. That doesn’t mean you should mow your lawn yet, though – and I know many of us are tempted.

My lawn is starting to border on jungle-like right now, and the grass actually seems longer than it has in past winters. Despite all of that, it isn’t time to start cutting your grass – and even I’m going to be holding off for a little while longer.

To find out why our grass is longer than usual for this time of the year, and when we should be thinking about getting the mower out in 2026, I spoke to the experts.

At this stage in the year, our lawn care calendars usually look quite empty – it’s still winter, and typically, that means grass growth has slowed right down.

My grass looks a lot longer than it usually would right now, though – and we’re only about halfway through February. According to The Grass People’s lawn expert, Chris McIlroy, it’s because of the milder, wetter weather patterns we’ve seen over the past month or so.

‘This year, the soil stayed warm, moisture levels stayed high, and lawns simply kept ticking over – slowly, but steadily,’ he explains. ‘That’s why many people are finding longer, patchier growth than they’d expect at this time of year.’

Chris says we shouldn’t confuse long grass with a strong grass, though.

‘We’re still experiencing frost and cold snaps, which can make grass more vulnerable than it appears,’ he warns.

It’s common knowledge that we should never cut wet grass, but even if the weather dries up, it’s still too early to mow our lawns in February.

‘Shorter lawns have less protection against frost, so cutting too soon can set them back,’ says Chris.

So when can we start mowing our lawns, then?

‘According to the Royal Horticultural Society, grass won’t grow in temperatures less than 7°C, which means that in line with Met Office data, the date we expect to mow for the first time in 2026 is March 13th,’ says Nick Ee, product training manager at BLACK+DECKER.

‘However, I’d urge everyone to keep checking their local forecasts beforehand, as we know how quickly the weather can change. It’s also important to consider other elements such as rain, frost and wind as these conditions will have an impact on the task at hand, and Britain is no stranger to an ice blast or two in spring.’

Mowing too early can leave your lawn vulnerable to late frost damage – and it’s one of the worst winter lawn care mistakes you can make.

You can feed your lawn now, though, as long as you choose a winter fertiliser like the Elixir Gardens Complete Winter Lawn Fertiliser from Amazon. It'll give it a nice pre-spring boost before the warmer weather arrives.

Gear up for spring lawn care

If you take just one lawn care tip from me this month, it's to keep the mower in the shed for a little while longer. Mowing your lawn in February can give it bad start for the year ahead – so focus on other February garden jobs, if your green thumbs are twitching!