Spring is in the air! Even though it’s raining, there’s something different about the light today that’s making me feel like Spring is just around the corner. My February seedlings have sprouted, and I’ve been thinking about what to plant in March.
What to Plant in March
Transplant Brassica Seedlings
It’s time to get your broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and kale into your garden! Brassicas need about a foot of space between each other. Most seed packets will tell you they need 18 inches, but I’ve found that planting them closer together helps with blanching, and helps support the leggy plants. If you didn’t start seedlings inside, you can add brassicas onto your list of what to plant in March! Seeds can go right into the dirt in early March, so if your seedlings didn’t do as well as you hoped there is still time to get them started. Once the seedlings have been planted, or start growing if you’re starting seeds outside, be sure to heavily mulch them. Straw is great for mulching cool weather plants because it will help maintain moisture in the dirt, and help keep the temperatures cooler.
Asparagus
If you think about seasonal eating Spring is full of greens, asparagus being one of them! If you want to have your own asparagus it’s definitely one that you need to plant in March. However, it may be a could years until you can really reap the benefits! The time will pass anyways though, so if you enjoy eating asparagus pick up some roots at a local garden center and follow the planting instructions. Make sure to plant them somewhere that you won’t mind find asparagus spears for years to come, and note that they will spread out over the years. If you do have some spears pop up this summer or next spring do not harvest them. Let them grow and turn into ferns to send energy down into the roots!
Beets
Let’s start some beet seeds! Beets definitely need to be on your list of plants to start in March. I love, love, love beets. They’re so fun to grow, and my best beet harvest was my first year, good news for you beginners! That year I was growing them next to some potatoes, so maybe I’ll try my luck with that again this year. This year I’m going to let them grow a bit larger than a usually do, but I have a hard time waiting! Once you see the bulb forming it’s so temping to pull it out, but that’s how you end up with radish sized beets.
Carrots
Carrots have been finicky in my garden because I don’t have a sandy mix of soil in my boxes. They grow best in loose soil that doesn’t have any debris to stop the root from growing. However, I’ve embraced the concept of “chaos carrots”. That means if there’s space I’m sprinkling carrots everywhere. They take up very little room, so you can fit them in nearly anywhere! I will be planting mine around my tomatoes this year. Both prefer being watered deeply and the tomatoes help shade the carrots once the weather gets warmer! When you plant your carrots seeds they need to stay moist to germinate. I have seen a lovely hack where you lay burlap over the seeds until the sprouts appear, I just haven’t gotten burlap to try it out. Once the seedlings have sprouted thin them out so they don’t get too cozy with their neighbors.
Cilantro
My cilantro strategy is much like my carrots strategy. I want heaps of cilantro so I just spread the seeds around all over hoping for chaos cilantro! I actually already started a patch of cilantro and covered it with our kiddy pool. Thank goodness because our chickens made their way out of the farmyard and could have scratched them all up! I find cilantro bolts really quickly once the weather warms up, so I like to spread the seeds early in the season. Once your cilantro does bolt don’t fret! They will produce lots of seeds for you to harvest to use again and again for years to come!
Lettuce, Spinach & Arugula
Go ahead and plant these right into the dirt! This year I’m going to dedicate some containers and a box to leafy greens. I shall call it my salad box! To plant lettuce, spinach and arugula I have two methods. First, you can make a very shallow line in the dirt and sprinkle them in, lightly covering with dirt. Then thin them out as they grow. I thin in stages to ensure the strongest ones will live, and you can use the baby greens! Second, I will make shallow holes a couple inches apart and sprinkle a pinch of seeds in each divot, then thin as they grow.
Potatoes
Potatoes are one that I am most excited to plant in March! This year I am hoping to harvest 20lbs of potatoes. Harvesting potatoes is so fun and so satisfying. I really enjoy growing them in grow bags, and even use empty chicken feeds bags. This year I’m going to cut out the feeds bags because, ugh, microplastics. It’s for the best! But grow bags are great because you don’t want to plant potatoes in the same spot year after year. Otherwise you’ll be dealing with potato diseases and scabbing. With the grow bags you can easily dump the whole thing out and fill with new dirt! I will be dedicating one of my garden boxes to potatoes this year as well. I’ll dig 2 deep trenches across the box and mound up the dirt around the sprouting potatoes, then mulch, mulch, mulch with straw.
Radishes
If you eat radishes you absolutely need them on your What to Plant in March list! They have a quick turnover and you can easily sow successive plantings to harvest throughout the spring. If your radishes start bolting and turn into alien radishes leave them be! They will develop seed pods that are quite tasty, some people even like them more than radishes. This way you can harvest your own radish seeds, and use the pods for a snack or in salads and such.
And there you have it! Are you as excited to get your hands dirty as I am? I hope you get a great start to your garden this year so that your harvest is plentiful and you feel accomplished in your journey to self sufficiency. Here’s to seeing you in the garden soon!
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