March Garden Plans

 I was so glad to see the arrival of March.

February brought record low temperatures here. Some winters we get cold weather, but usually it does not last long. But this year we had morning after morning for weeks of frigid temperatures. I don't think I ever remember so many mornings that registered in the negative digits.

But March began with yet more snow. The photos here were taken on March 6. You can see my grapevine that did not get pruned in February and the garden in front of it certainly did not warm up and dry out yet.

I am grateful for the large windows that bring in lots of light on these snowy days. Since this room faces our backyard, Ed persuaded me to not hang any drapes. I am so glad for every bit of light in the winter.

I actually enjoy snow. If it is going to be cold, it might as well snow imo. Since I don't need to go anywhere and my shelves are still full of the garden produce from last year, I can enjoy being holed up indoors. But after a while...when Legos, puzzles, and playdough has lost its appeal and is replaced with jumping off the couch, pestering your sister, and fighting with your brothers - then I'm ready for the snow to melt.

But there is hope. Snow doesn't stay long in March. Today the temperature reached the fifties. We plowed through our schoolwork quickly and rushed outdoors to take advantage of the warmth. I even hung out some laundry and pruned those grapevines. March may tease us with yet more snow and cold, but the swelling buds herald that spring is coming.

Here is some of the garden tasks for this month in my zone 6 garden.

1. Prepare garden soil

Beautiful, healthy dirt makes beautiful healthy plants. This is the time of year that I like to add a layer of lime and unload my compost pile into the garden. Of course, it is going to be a while until it dries out enough so that I can walk in the garden so it might be April before I can actually get into my garden. If you've never taken a soil test, you may consider doing one this month.

2. Draw up a garden plan

I jotted down a few notes but I want to make a more detailed plan. I look at my past records so that I don't plant the same plant in the same place for at least two years. Crop rotation will help halt the spread of disease and insect pests.

3. Plant early vegetable seeds

As soon as the garden is dry enough to be worked, I like to plant the early vegetable crops. Peas, potatoes, onions, spinach, and lettuce are some of the earliest. In our area, I've heard the old timers say that St Patrick's Day (March 17) is the time to plant peas and Good Friday (April 3 this year) is the perfect potato planting day. But I will just pick a dry day that is suitable for my husband to help.

4. Start indoor seeds

Tomatoes, peppers and flowers should be started in early March to be set out when the danger of frost is past. If you have cold hardy plants such as broccoli, cabbage and lettuce started, they can be moved to a cold frame or planted in a protected area this month. I sometimes plant these cold hardy plants in the garden and protect with row cover, hoop house or milk jugs.

I started a few cold hardy plants in February. I often wonder why I bother starting plants as I can buy nicer plants at a greenhouse in a few weeks. But in February I long to get my hands in the dirt so I amuse myself by starting a few seeds. But I don't have a good place to start seeds—like a good light—so I won't attempt to start tomatoes.

Here is my super simple method.

I fill old plant packs with soft potting soil and place the packs in an old cake pan.

I gently place one seed in each tiny pot and dust a little soil over it.

I pour water in the cake pan (not the plant packs) so the soil will absorb the water without disturbing the seeds.

With tape and a marker, I label the sides of the pan. I have found that if I use sticks, they often fall out or get moved.

I cover the pans with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place (the top of my refrigerator.) The goal is a nice warm humid environment.

When the seeds sprout (which took three days for me) remove the plastic wrap and sit them in the sun.

My only convenient spot is a wide windowsill in my basement. This is a sunny spot and next to my washing machine so I can keep an eye on it every day.

5. Clean up flower beds

Already I see a few emerging spring blooming bulbs. Soon I will pull back the mulch, clear out any weeds that I missed last fall, and cut back any perennials. As the perennials sprout out, I like to divide any that need it as soon as possible to reduce the stress to the plants. I may add some compost around the plants as well. I might add some pansies for some extra spring cheer.

6. Start sweet potato plants.

I haven't planted sweet potatoes for several years because they take up so much room—which we never have an abundance of in our garden. But I do love sweet potatoes so I'm going to try to find a spot this year, even if it means giving up something else.

I wrote about starting sweet potato plants from a sweet potato several years ago—and strangely is it the most popular post I've ever written. Year round, that post has hundreds of readers every week. Who would have thought?

Anyway, I plan to put a sweet potato into water this week to get a start on sweet potato plants. If I can't find the garden space I can probably find some other gardener who will appreciate the plants. If nothing else, the children can have the fun of watching the sprouts emerge from the sweet potatoes.

Are you excited about March? What are your garden plans?

For more garden information, see my Garden Page.