March Organic Gardening Calendar

March heralds the arrival of spring-like weather in most parts of the United States and stands as the start of the garden year for most gardeners. If temperatures remain warm and the soil is dry enough to be worked, you can begin many of the tasks below. Always assess your own soil and conditions before working in your garden. If the soil is too wet, you can actually damage it by turning it over while it's wet. Take your time and don't rush nature!


March Gardening Tasks

•    Got seeds?  If you haven't started your organic vegetable seeds indoors, now's the time to do it! Most vegetables such as peppers, tomatoes, and others you can grow indoors from seeds need about 8 to 12 weeks to grow big and strong before you can move them outside. Consult the seed package for details.

•    Add compost.  Add compost, composted manures, and other organic amendments now to allow them time to mix and mingle with the existing soil.  If the soil is still very wet, wait until it dries a bit before digging in.

•    Order organic onions and potatoes.  Onions, sweet potatoes and potatoes are more easily grown from sets, or starter plants or root parts. Order them now for the best selection. Many need to go into the ground as soon as it can be worked.

•    Plant cool weather crops.  Salad greens, including lettuce, thrive in the cool spring garden. Plant seeds directly into the ground. Other green leafy vegetables such as spinach, chard and kale love cool weather. Radishes and turnips are two wonderful root vegetables you can plant now too. 

•    Plant cool weather herbs. Chives and parsley also like cool weather. Now's the time to plant them!

•    Plant peas and create a trellis.  "Plant peas on St. Patrick's Day" is a very old saying, but it still holds true. Be sure that when planting peas you provide a trellis for them. They need to climb!

•    Prune fruit trees. Prune suckers, or tiny pencil-thin limbs, off fruit trees now. Spray with organic oils and organic insecticides but consult with your local Cooperative Extension for the proper time since it varies by region and fruit tree type.

•    Plant pansies and English primrose. Nothing says spring like the cheerful faces of flowers! Plant flowers among vegetables and herbs to attract pollinating insects. Don't forget to pick your pansy flowers. Not only can you enjoy them indoors, but it encourages more flowers. So pick a bouquet, pour some water into an old jelly jar or a nice vase, and put some fresh flowers on your desk or table today!




About the Author
Jeanne Grunert is a writer and marketing consultant who moved from New York City to a 17 acre organic farm in rural Virginia. She writes about gardening, health and raw foods for many publications, and her gardening book, Get Your Hands Dirty – A Beginner's Guide to Gardening, is available in paperback ($9.99) and E Book ($5) at Lulu.com (http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/get-your-hands-dirty-a-beginners-guide-to-gardening/8418683 )

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Written by:  Jeanne Grunert
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