Wondering what to plant in March?
The warmer weather and longer days in March are a great time to get your hands in the dirt! There are lots of seeds you can start this month. This timing we write about below is geared for a growing zone 5 where the last frost is in mid-to-late May. Adjust timing accordingly if you have earlier or later frosts.
What vegetables to plant in March:
Sow Cool-Weather Veggie Seeds indoors in March:
Start seeds for cool-weather crops like lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, and onions to get them ready to plant outside next month in April. You can sow many of these outside directly in the garden, too, read on...
Direct Sow these Cool Weather Veggie Seeds Outside in the Garden:
Spinach, cilantro, parsley, beets, carrots, snap peas, snow peas, lettuce, broccoli, cabbage – Cool weather veggies like these can be started outside. It helps to have some cover like an overturned clear plant saucer (see below) or other clear container such as the top of a vinegar jug, or a floating row cover or a small garden bed hoop house or cold frame to keep the soil warmer during extra cold periods. Keep the soil moist and they'll germinate when ready!
In the photo above we used an old cracked clear plastic plant saucer to cover some spinach seeds to germinate them and keep them warm during super cold weather in March – it worked wonders and we had a large crop of spinach come April and May.
Note: Direct seeding Crops like Spinach, cilantro, parsley, beets,and carrots is best as they do not like to have their roots disturbed (unless they are transplanted soon after germination when they are still very small). It's also easier to direct seed them into the garden or container where they will be fully grown as there is no transplanting needed.
Carrots can sometimes be tricky to get to germinate.
Here's a trick for starting carrot seeds »
Starting Warm Weather Veggies Indoors in March:
March is a great time to start peppers! Many people start their pepper seeds indoors in mid-to-late March – especially super hots as they take some time to get ramped up for spring transplanting. We recommend starting peppers about 6-8 weeks before the last expected frost in your region. Want peppers sooner this season? You can also grow the fastest growing peppers which take off much faster than other varieties.
Here's more of our pepper seed starting tips »
You can also start warm weather plants like eggplants, basil, or Lavender indoors in March. Basil is great as you can prune and use the leaves over pasta, on salads or sandwiches. Pruning it so it forms lots of branches will increase your harvest, and it grows happily under lights indoors through spring. We like to grow Basil in our Aerogarden all winter long as it looks so pretty and is useful in the kitchen.
Wait on Tomatoes... Until April:
We usually start tomatoes indoors about 4-6 weeks before the last expected frost (so later, in early April), as they germinate and grow quickly so it's best not to start them too early unless you have room to pot them into much bigger containers as they grow. Tomatoes always outpace peppers so we start them later.
What about starting zucchini, squash, pumpkins, and cucumbers indoors?
To be honest, there's really no reason to start zucchini, squashes, pumpkins or cucumbers early indoors. Of course you can but they grow quickly so don't start them too early, they'll germinate and be ready to transplant in a matter of just 2-3 weeks – you'll want to transplant them just as they are getting their first true sets of leaves. You don't want them to get root bound as these cucurbits don't like to have their roots disturbed. If you direct seed their seeds in mounds out in the garden, they'll do just as well if not better than the indoor started plants, as they will quickly catch up and often outpace them!
One exception to this direct-seeding cucurbits advice, is if you have a lot of pests like cutworms, which love to eat baby cucumber seedlings – especially in our garden. We just usually succession sow several extra seeds in case a few get eaten, but you could also start them indoors a few weeks before so they get a nice thick stem and a first true leaf or two before transplanting outdoors.
Happy growing!
