Snow. Blustery and windy. Mild and sunny.
March brings the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Spring for the northern hemisphere will arrive on March 20, the vernal equinox. On this day, the sun rises direcly in the east and sets directly in the west. There will be exactly 12 hours from sunrise to sunset. And in the northern hemisphere, every day will grow just a little bit longer until summer.
March, called Martius, by the Romans was named for Mars, the Roman god of war. March was the first month on the ancient Roman calendar until Julius caesar reivsed the calendar to make March the third month.
March is the month to get busy in the northern garden. Arichokes suckers, garlic cloves, and potatoes should be planted now for harvest in 6 months. In the greenhouse or glasshouse, tomato, eggplant and peppers seeds should be sown this month for planting out in 6 to 8 weeks when the weather has turned warm. Cucumbers, leek, melons, squash, and zucchini should also be sown indoors this month. If you are in a short-summer region, wait until the start of next month to start these seeds.
Here is a planting list for March in the northern hemisphere:
Cold northern regions—Zones 3-6. Vegetables: artichoke suckers, beets, cabbage, cape gooseberry, capsicum, carrots, chard (silverbeet), cress, endive, kohlrabi, lettuce, spring onion, parsnip, peas, potato tubers, radish, rhubarb crowns, rutabaga (Swedes), salsify, Swiss chard (silverbeet), tomato, turnips. Herbs: basil, boarage, caraway, celeriac, chamomile, chervil, chives, coriander, garlic, hyssop, lemon balm, oregano, parsley, salad burnet, thyme.
Temperate Regions—Zones 7-9. Vegetables: artichoke suckers, beans, beets (beetroot), cabbage, cape gooseberry, capsicum, carrots, celery, chard (silverbeet), chayote (choko), chicory, cress, cucumber, eggplant, endive, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, melons, mustard, spring onions, parsnip, peas, potato tubers, radish, rhubarb crowns, salsify, squash, sweet corn, sweet potato, tomato, zucchini. Herbs: basil, borage, caraway, chamomile, chervil, chicory, chilli, coriander, dill, fennel, garlic, hyssop, lemon balm, oregano, parsley, thyme.
Subtropical and Tropical Regions—Zones 10-12. Vegetables: beans, beet (beetroot), cabbage, cape gooseberry, capsicum, carrots, celery, chayote (choko), Chinese cabbage, cress, cucumber, eggplant, fennel, lettuce, marrow, melons, mustard, okra, parsnip, peas, potatoes, pumpkin, radish, rhubarb crowns, salsify, Swiss chard (silverbeet), spring onion, squash, strawberry runners, sweet corn, sweet potato, tomato, zucchini. Herbs: basil, borage, caraway, chamomile, celeriac, chervil, coriander, dill, garlic, hyssop, lemon balm, marjoram, oregano, parsley, salad burnet, thyme.
March Harvest
If you live in the moderate temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, you are still enjoying the cool weather harvest: the vegetables you planted last fall that are still producing: broccoli, cauliflower, chard, lettuce, mustard, snow peas, and spinach.
Here is list of other vegetables and fruits coming to harvest in March: Vegetables: artichoke, asparagus, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrot, celeriac, celery, chard (silverbeet), Chinese cabbage, kale, lettuce, parsnip, peas, purslane, radish, rhubarb, spinach. Fruit: avocadoes, cape gooseberries, grapefruit, lemons, limes, mandarins, Navel oranges, passion fruit, tamarillos, tangeloes.
Pictured above: A Blue Lake bean begins life in the Sonoma garden in March.
