March

Plant peas and broad beans. 

March is still too cold for many plants, but peas and broad beans are usually OK to go out in the garden now. Both plants require cool weather to grow properly, and planting them out now will give them the chance to grow and have a decent harvest before the weather turns truly warm in May. 

Continue to start seeds, and pot up seedlings. 

Succession sowing is the name of the game. Early-sown seeds are ready for potting up now, and new seeds can be sown. In March, I typically sow seeds for cucumbers, lettuce, swiss chard, spinach and other mid-season plants indoors. Usually, late March is temperate enough to direct-sow some seeds outside: radish, turnip, onion sets, and potatoes. 

Cut back perennials and grasses. 

In the fall, many perennials are cut back to the ground — but you may have left some perennials as a source of food or refuge for wildlife over the winter. Now is the time to cut back seed heads from plants like echinacea or zinnia. It’s also the time to cut back perennial grasses: trim the dead growth as soon as you see fresh, green growth at the base. 

Don’t cut back daffodils. 

Daffodils may be blooming in your area now. It’s fine to deadhead the blooms (unless you’re leaving daffodils to naturalize in an area, in which case you should leave them), but do not cut back the foliage. The foliage feeds the bulb, and cutting back (or mowing) the foliage now will mean the plant may not reappear next spring. Leave the foliage to die back on its own — which can be as late as June in some places.  

Add compost to vegetable beds. 

Your over-wintered compost should be well-rotted by now. Spread it on your vegetable beds so they’re ready for planting later this month, and in April.  

Plant bare-root trees and shrubs. 

Early fall and early spring are the best times to plant bare-root trees and shrubs. If you didn’t plant them in September, plant them now. Potted shrubs and trees can be planted virtually any time, so long as you take proper care of the plants.