Gardening in March

 

March is the beginning of the busiest season of a gardener's year. There are many important jobs to do in the garden at this time, though you may not be aware of them all. This article isn't exhaustive, but it is a good start on how to prepare your garden for the warmer months.

With regards to the vegetable patch: You can start planting onions and shallots in a few days. They need the sunniest position with free drainage.  Don't bother putting manure on the soil, as these crops prefer a more mature soil. Position them in a line so that they are easy to weed. To avoid birds pulling them out of the soil, place a net over them until the roots have a hold.
Potatoes need time to chit before they are planted. Leave them in a cool, bright room to promote the eyes. Later in the month you can plant the early growers, but keep them covered in fleece to be on the safe side.

There are still some plants that need pruning. However, don't prune evergreen until April. Remove a third of spent flowering stems on plants that flowered in the winter, back to the old wood, This promotes fresh growth.Wisteria, clemantis and late flowering shrubs like Russian Sage should all have been pruned properly by the end of the month. If you don't, you will risk losing important fresh growth energy if this is left too late.

Later this month, you can probably start to sow some plants directly outside. Sweet Peas and Broad Beans suit an earlier planting, as do mustard and rocket. Hold off on planting any new turf until early April, though you can prepare the ground for sowing.

Slugs can be a danger to new growth but use pellets wisely and only where necessary. Try to use organic pellets because they provide no danger to any other animals or plants.

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