To get a head start on the growing season: start your vegetable seeds indoors. Cold soil and unsettled weather will challenge seeds sown directly in the garden in early spring.
For early cool-season crops try indoor seed starting this year; you can get started this month. Crops that are the easiest to start indoors from seed are broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, leeks, lettuce, onions, peppers, and tomatoes.
Start warm-season crops indoors 6 to 8 weeks before you plan to set them into the garden: beans, cucumbers, eggplant, melons, tomatoes, and squash are best started in bio-degradable peat or paper pots that can be planted whole into the garden (that way you won’t disturb their roots at transplanting).
Here is a checklist of what you will need to start seed indoors:
□ Containers: flats or individual containers at least 3 to 4 inches deep.
□ Seed-starting and potting mixes: peat moss, fine compost, perlite, and milled sphagnum moss will work for seed starting. Later you will need a potting mix: 1 part garden soil, 1 part perlite or builders’ sand; 1 part fine compost.
□ Lights: adjustable up and down fluorescent lights will do to keep plants growing.
□ Capillary mats placed under containers will wick up moisture to the seeds and seedlings.
□ Half-strength fertilizer to get seedlings growing: fish or seaweed fertilizer or compost tea.
Beginning with the warmest regions first, here is a seed starting guide for March:
Zone 10
□ Direct-sow and transplant out spring crops.
□ Sow out summer vegetables and tender herbs when frost danger is past: basil, beans, corn, cucumbers, and melons.
□ Set out tomato and pepper transplants.
□ Plant tender summer vegetables and herbs in containers
□ Thin seedlings.
□ Open cold frame on warm days.
Zone 9
□ Make last sowings of cool-season root crops: carrots, beets, broad beans, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, onions, parsnips, radishes, and spinach.
□ Plant early potatoes, onion sets, and shallots.
□ Make a second sowing of early peas.
□ Direct-sow and transplant out warm-weather crops; check seed packets, some varieties are well suited for early sowing.
□ Warm up the soil for warm-weather crops with cloches or horticultural fleece.
□ Sow sunflowers and nasturtium seeds outdoors.
□ Start eggplant seedlings and sweet potato slips indoors.
□ Thin seedlings.
Zone 8
□ Prepare planting beds when the soil can be worked; remove weeds, rake soil to a fine tilth, and add aged compost.
□ When the soil is dry and workable, plant asparagus crowns, onion sets, and early potatoes.
□ Prepare potato trenches adding a layer of well-rotted manure or aged compost. Plant early potatoes.
□ Top-dress asparagus beds with well-rotted manure or aged compost.
□ Sow in the garden beets, broad beans, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, kohlrabi, lettuce, green and spring onions, parsnips, peas, radishes, shallots, spinach, and turnips.
□ Plant new strawberries; put cloches over strawberries if you want an early cop.
□ Sow out herbs: chervil, dill, fennel, parsley, pot marjoram, and sorrel.
□ Lift and divide over-grown clumps of bergamot, chives, and fennel.
□ Direct sow nasturtiums.
□ Dig well-rotted manure into celery trenches.
□ Prepare runner-bean trenches by digging in compost or well-rotted manure.
□ Late in the month, sow indoors tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant; also start sweet potato slips indoors. Adjust the height of seed-starting lights or turn seedlings in the windowsill daily; water and fertilize indoor seedlings.
□ Warm up the soil with cloches or horticultural fleece.
Zone 7
□ Finish winter digging; add aged compost to planting beds.
□ Place cloches or plastic tunnels in position to warm up the soil.
□ Sow early crops in cold frames or beneath cloches or horticultural fleece if hard freezes are still about.
□ Sow beets, Brussels sprouts, carrots, chard, dill, parsley, onions, parsnips, radishes, and spinach.
□ Sow broad beans under cloches.
□ Sow early peas in a sheltered sport; make a second sowing in two weeks.
□ Plant early potatoes and onion sets.
□ Sow onion and scallion seed. Set out onion and scallion sets.
□ Transplant cabbage, broccoli, and onions to the garden; cover them with cloches if you expect a hard frost or leave the cloches in place for a few weeks.
□ Chit (sprout) ‘seed’ potatoes (small tubers) of early varieties and prepare to plant.
□ Start indoors seed of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and basil.
□ Prepare runner bean and celery trenches; dig well-rotted manure into celery trenches.
□ Begin sowing herbs in a warm cold frame or green house.
Zone 6
□ Dig in cover crops as soon as the soil can be worked.
□ Finish winter digging; add aged compost to planting beds.
□ Place cloches or plastic tunnels in position to warm up the soil.
□ Move broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower seedlings to a coldframe.
□ Sow beets, Brussels sprouts, carrots, chard, dill, parsley, onions, parsnips, radishes, and spinach; cover beds with horticultural fleece if hard frosts persist.
□ Sow broad beans under cloches.
□ Sow early peas in a sheltered spot; make a second sowing in two weeks.
□ Plant early potatoes and onion sets.
□ Sow onion and scallion seed. Set out onion and scallion sets.
□ Transplant cabbage, broccoli, and onions to the garden; cover them with cloches if you expect a hard frost or leave the cloches in place for a few weeks.
□ Chit (sprout) ‘seed’ potatoes (small tubers) of early varieties and prepare to plant.
□ Start indoors seed of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and basil.
□ Prepare runner bean and celery trenches; dig well-rotted manure into celery trenches.
□ Begin sowing herbs in a warm cold frame or green house.
Zone 5
□ Dig root crops left in garden from last fall.
□ Clean up garden and prepare soil for planting later crops.
□ Prepare planting beds for cool-weather crops as soon as the soil is dry enough to work.
□ Plant new asparagus and rhubarb beds, fertilize established ones with a blanket of compost
□ Prepare soil and direct-sow earliest crops as soon as soil is workable.
□ Care for indoor seedlings; adjust height of lights, turn windowsill seedlings daily, water, fertilize.
□ Put seed potatoes in a warm, bright windowsill to encourage them to sprout
□ At the end of the month, move broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower transplants outdoors to a cold frame. Cover the frame with a blanket or tarp if a hard freeze threatens.
□ Start tomato and pepper seeds indoors this month.
Zone 4 and 3
□ Clean up garden areas for later planting.
□ Start cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, celery, leeks, onions, and parsley indoors beneath lights.
□ Trim the tops of onion and leek seedlings to an inch or so high, to keep them stocky.
□ Direct-sow earliest crops when soil begins to warm.
□ At month’s end, start sprouting spinach and lettuce indoors.
□ Late in the month, start seeds tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants indoors; use individual peat pots.
Grow 80 vegetables: THE KITCHEN GARDEN GROWERS’ GUIDE
