by Mark Levisay
March is actually a pretty good time to be home, as there are many things in the garden that need your attention. Indoors you can be starting seeds, such as tomato, pepper, and basil next to a bright sunny window or with some good artificial lighting. Planning the layout of your vegetable or flower garden is another way to use your time and be ahead of the game when planting time rolls around.
Pepper seedlings under the lights.
Outdoors there are lots of things to keep you busy.
Do you have a fenced in area for your vegetables? If not, put one up! 60” welded wire fencing will keep the deer out, and you’ll probably need to build one or more gates for access to your garden. Ever think about raised beds? This is a perfect time to build them, so they’re ready to go—the sooner the better. Mulching the paths between the beds is a good idea, as it will keep your feet out of the mud after big spring rains.
If you already have an established garden, now is the time to clean out dead plants, leaves and other winter debris from your beds. Weeding is crucially important, as any weeds that are already blooming are ready to set seed for their next generation. Getting ahead of weeds now will really help later on in the summer. I spread pelletized lime on my beds every couple of years to help counteract the many acidifying factors, such as fertilizer, mulch, and rainfall that affect your beds. If you have an asparagus bed you can also fertilize it now, as the spears should start to appear in April.
Have you thought about using row cover material to protect vegetables like broccoli and cabbage from worms? This is a perfect time to set up your supports, and lay out a soaker hose where your plants will go. The soaker hose makes it much more convenient to water once the cover goes on. Buy your plants, set them, and then cover. No more broccoli worms! As a warning, kale is in the same family, so growing it under cover will help protect it from the worms.
As far as actual planting goes, mid-March already getting late for peas and spinach, but you can try if you haven’t already planted them. Lettuce and beets should wait until later in the month, unless they’re going under a row cover. Same with broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and brussels sprouts. Plant now under cover, or wait a week or two to set out in the open. We’re more than a month away from putting out things like tomatoes, peppers, beans, and squash, but you can plan for where they’ll go. Poles for training tomatoes or for climbing pole beans and fencing for cucumbers can go up now, and you’ll be ready to go when the time is right to plant them.
Take advantage of any extra time you have to invest in your garden now, and you’ll reap the rewards later this summer!
Have a garden question? Send me an email at marklevisay@gmail.com.