Home food garden: What to plant in March (2024)

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Home food garden: What to plant in March? ›

In late February to early March, start cabbages, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, leeks, endive, escarole, fennel, lettuce, and artichokes indoors. In mid- to late March, direct sow peas, spinach, fava beans, and arugula outdoors. Start peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, Swiss chard, and tomatillos indoors.

March is the perfect time to get those tomato and pepper seeds started indoors so they can be ready for an early spring planting! Also now is a great time to start planting cool weather vegetables that can withstand those last frost days of March and April.

Lettuce can be sown direct outdoors from early spring until late summer, for crops through summer and fall. 'Sow lettuce directly into the garden under a fine layer of soil after the last hard frost,' advises gardening guru Jo Gardener, although most lettuce can tolerate a mild spring frost.

Believe it or not, once you've prepared beds for them, you can start sowing seeds for many cool season veggies in March, along with broad (or fava) beans, which are some of the hardiest vegetables out there. Carrot seeds can also be sown, as well as beetroot, kale, leeks, broccoli, horseradish, chicory, and turnips.

Herbs—such as rosemary, mint, sage, thyme, basil and chives—are perfect to plant in containers or garden beds in most parts of the country come March. We like buying individual plants since they're so easy to grow! Just plant them in a sunny spot and water when dry.

Tomatoes are warm weather plants which need plenty of sun to thrive and grow best at temperatures between 70 and 75°F (21 and 24°C). Seeds are best sown under cover in March and April ready for harvesting from July to September.

If you plant in the spring for summer harvest, you should start cabbage indoors. For a fall crop, plant seed directly in the garden in early July. Cabbage will tolerate below-freezing temperatures late in plant growth.

Plant strawberries in spring or fall based on your growing zone. In-ground gardens, raised beds, and containers are all excellent growing areas. Give strawberries room for runners by planting them 18 inches apart.

Radishes. Radishes are annual root vegetables known for their tangy flavor. This cool-season vegetable is one of the easiest and fastest-growing additions to a spring garden. They can be grown from seed and planted in early spring, shortly after the danger of frost is gone.

What is the best layout for a vegetable garden? ›

As a general rule, put tall veggies toward the back of the bed, mid-sized ones in the middle, and smaller plants in the front or as a border. Consider adding pollinator plants to attract beneficial insects that can not only help you get a better harvest, but will also prey on garden pests.

We recommend planting zucchini and summer squash from late May to early July, depending on the season's temperatures and rainfall. It's a warm season crop, so it needs warm air, warm soil, and no chance of frost.

Beets, lettuce, kale, cucumbers, peas, radishes, cherry tomatoes and green beans are some of the easiest vegetables for beginners to grow. Summer and winter squash are also good choices for first-time gardeners.

Radishes are probably the fastest growing vegetable in your garden, being ready to pick in as little as 30 days from planting the seeds. Their peppery flavor is a hit on the vegetable tray or added to a fresh lettuce salad.

In late February to early March, start cabbages, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, leeks, endive, escarole, fennel, lettuce, and artichokes indoors. In mid- to late March, direct sow peas, spinach, fava beans, and arugula outdoors. Start peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, Swiss chard, and tomatillos indoors.

March is a transition month from cool-season annuals to warm-season annuals, and your possibilities for planting are almost endless. Plus, there's some annual plant care to check off your list. Here are a few of the main March gardening tasks to help your early spring garden transition smoothly into summer.

For many regions, the best time to start spring crops ranges from late January to mid-March. To get more exact planting recommendations based on your city and state or province, consult The Old Farmer's Almanac.