These March gardening tasks will determine how well a garden thrives in the warmer months ahead
March is when gardens begin to stir, even if winter hasn’t fully loosened its grip
Winter is melting away, and spring has almost sprung—which means now is the time to set foot in the garden. March is when gardens begin to stir, even if winter hasn’t fully loosened its grip.
Across the country, gardeners use these last chilly weeks before spring to prune dormant plants, start seeds indoors, and prepare soil, quiet tasks that can determine how well a garden thrives in the warmer months ahead.
These small tasks shape the garden long before the first flowers appear. Gardeners can also use this late-winter window to clear away dead leaves and debris where insects often overwinter, reducing the chance of infestations once temperatures rise.
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Pruning fruit trees, grape vines, raspberry canes, and deciduous ornamentals before new growth emerges in March can help control pests by removing potential breeding sites.
How to get started on a vegetable garden
For those in the Northern U.S. looking to cultivate a vegetable garden, Better Homes & Gardens offers some essential tips.
Start with sanitizing any seed trays, flats, cell packs or pots you’ll be reusing.
Start almost all your seeds except fast-growing cucurbits such as melons and squashes. In particular, begin with tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and cole crops.
Take a lead on spinach, lettuce, and kale for transplanting outdoors next month when the soil is workable.
Clip all the old foliage from your chives as soon as they emerge from the snow.
Take a lead on spinach, lettuce, and kale for transplanting outdoors next month
How to get started on flower beds and perennials
Though perennials are asleep, it’s a good time to clean up once the snow melts. Once the weather begins to warm up, you can prune off the old vegetation you left last fall.
“Gather seed heads, stems, and dead foliage, and toss them in your compost pile. Break long stems into shorter pieces to help them break down more quickly,” Better Homes & Gardens wrote.
The gardening resource further noted these steps to follow:
Readjust your rabbit guards as the snow melts, making sure they aren’t perched up above ground level.Reapply any mulch that flattened out too much to insulate the plant roots below. Nights are still cold, and roots need insulation.Start snapdragon seeds indoors now for transplanting outdoors in April.Practical gardening tasks to complete before spring arrives
Make sure to clean out birdhouses. If you have a multi-bin compost setup, swap the bins now and flip the old one once it thaws.
If you haven’t done a soil test in a while, collect a sample and send it off, the gardening resource states
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