March is a busy month filled with potential. Here’s a guide to what you can sow and do in a March kitchen garden, or on an allotment.

Let’s start with a few timely reminders for what to sow this month, then move on some garden jobs to do as well.

My March kitchen garden diary

It’s a well known fact that I prefer to be a fair weather gardener, but in March I always decide that I need to get going and make a proper headstart on the growing year. Okay, I’ll probably put things off for a few days if it’s raining heavily, but then I’ll be busier.

I’ll also have to dig some extra compost into the raised beds to enrich the soil, before I get on with the sowing.

The local foxes seem to have really woken up now, and have been causing general havoc, so I might have to put some ground protection down in case they try to dig up any freshly-sown seeds. I don’t use plastic netting or anything like that because it’s potentially dangerous for wildlife and pets, as well as the environment.

My usual trick is to place old greenhouse wire shelving on the ground, then peg it down with lots of metal tent pegs. It seems to work fairly well, so fingers crossed.

What to sow in March

Some of my favourite places to get seeds and small plants include:

• Dobies
• Marshalls Garden
• RHS – good for ‘Garden Merit’ tried and tested varieties
• Suttons – lots of 99p seeds and handy advice for beginners
• Thompson & Morgan – all kinds of seeds, strawberry plants, fruit bushes etc

Sow outdoors in March

• beetroot (under cover, such as a cloche, mini greenhouse or horticultural fleece)
• broad beans
• Brussels sprouts (under cover)
• carrot (under cover)
• cauliflower
• Jerusalem artichoke (tubers)
• kohl rabi (under cover)
• lettuce (under cover)
• mangetout (under cover)
• parsnip
• peas
• potatoes (‘first early’ types)
• radish
• rhubarb crowns
• spinach and chard (under cover)
• spring onion
• sprouting broccoli (to crop in winter & early spring)
• summer broccoli /calabrese (under cover)
• summer cabbage
• turnip (under cover)

Sow indoors in March (warm windowsill or propagator)

• aubergines (if you own a greenhouse)
• chillies (getting a bit late for these but still possible)
• sweet peppers
• tomatoes

Sow indoors (room temperature)

• celeriac
• celery
• fennel (vegetable/Florence type)
• leeks
• lettuce (cooler windowsill)
• rocket
• summer herbs
• sweetcorn

I also like to start off some seeds for companion plants to keep the crops happy, such as:

• French marigolds
• basil
• nasturtiums

There are also a few things to plant out, which I’ll mention in the ‘garden jobs’ section coming up next.

Garden jobs to do in March

1. Ground care

If the soil isn’t frozen, you can remove any early weeds before they get established, and dig in some compost. Top up raised beds with compost or topsoil if needed. Cover cold ground with cloches if it needs to be warmed.

2. Planting out veg

Time to plant:

• chitted seed potatoes (i.e. they’re sprouting ‘eyes’)
• Jerusalem artichoke tubers
• asparagus crowns (prepare soil carefully first)
• onion and shallot sets (not in freezing weather)

3. Fruit care in March

Plant out:

• raspberry canes
• cherry trees
• apple trees
• most other fruit trees and canes (check the care labels)

Feed rhubarb crowns with liquid feed or put some compost around them. Feed blueberry canes with ericaceous liquid feed or granules. Move strawberry plants into greenhouse or put a cloche over them for an earlier crop (you’ll need to pollinate them by hand when they flower).

4. Pest control

Put down some copper rings, slug pellets (organic ones that aren’t toxic to other wildlife) or beer traps to control slugs and snails.

This site may get paid a small amount of commission for purchases made after clicking some of the links in this post. There’s no extra cost to you & it keeps us going so please support us if you can.

Enjoying this article? You may also like:

• What to sow & do in a February kitchen garden
• British seasonal food in March (what to pick this month)

Are you growing your own fruit, veggies and herbs this year? All of this will get your gardening efforts off to a good head start.

If you have any questions, please ask! If I don’t have the right answer then I’ll be able to send you in the direction of some very reliable people and organisations.