March is an exciting turning point in the gardening year. The days are growing longer, and up and down the country, gardeners are feverishly sowing seeds, chitting potatoes and rolling up their sleeves for the season ahead. However, March has a sting in its tail. It brings warm days that can lull us into a false sense of security, a phenomenon we in gardening refer to as 'false spring'. Don't be caught out: temperatures drop dramatically at night, and frost is still very common, even if we don't notice it on the ground.
Knowing what to plant in March and, of course, what not to plant can have a profound effect on your season ahead.
Our March gardening jobs in the UK are all about sowing seeds, raising and protecting seedlings and a growing hope for the season to come. Here are some of the things we can plant in March.
Vegetables to Sow in March
Let’s start by looking at what vegetables to plant in March. We must begin by remembering that there is still a high risk of frost across the UK in March, so keep your tender and half-hardy annuals indoors, protected from the cold. Don’t forget also that temperatures are higher in the South of the UK. If you are in the North, sowings should be made a few months later or given extra protection.
If the soil is workable, not too wet or frozen, you can begin sowing parsnips and other hardy vegetables outdoors. If you're unsure whether your soil is workable, take a handful and squeeze it; if water runs out or it turns sticky, it's probably not ready to receive outdoor sowings. In this case, you can sow in pots and plant out when the soil is drier. Here are some more vegetables we can sow outdoors in March:
- Broad bean seeds
- Pea seeds
- Spinach seeds
- Beetroot seeds
- Carrot seeds in lighter soils
- Parsnip seeds (using fresh seed for best results)
March is also the ideal time to plant onion sets and first-early seed potatoes, with harvests ready before the blight arrives in July. Plant your first early potatoes in containers indoors to protect them from frost. They can be moved out around early May.
March is the last call to sow long-season, warmth-loving plants such as chilli pepper seeds and aubergine seeds. These need a warm windowsill or a heated propagator to get going. Low soil temperatures can cause damping off or poor germination.
Indoors, we can start to sow our tender annuals later in the month, such as:
Make sure to keep these seedlings protected from frost, even in a greenhouse, by covering plants with fleece for plants on cold nights. If you plant these tender plants outside before the risk of frost has passed in your area, they will die!
Flowers to Sow in March
The simplest way to fill your garden, vegetable patch or allotment with colour and life is to sow flowers. So, here’s a list of what flowers to plant in March.
You can sow hardy annuals outdoors in March, using direct sowing. Some of the easiest flowers to direct sow are:
These are resilient flowers that thrive with minimal fuss and reward you with plenty of colour and attract some much-loved pollinators.
You can also sow half-hardy annuals indoors. They need a little extra warmth to get going and should be protected from the frost, but they’re well worth the effort. Try sowing these flowers indoors in March:
If you want to create a beautiful cut-flower patch and never run out of freshly picked blooms, try a combination of hardy annual flowers and half-hardy annuals. You will soon be harvesting your own stunning bouquets and posies to fill your house with colour or give to your loved ones.
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Essential March Gardening Tasks
Alongside deciding what to plant in March, there are important tasks that help protect and support what you sow.
Protecting seedlings from frost is key at this time of year. Use garden cloches or fleece for plants to shield young plants during cold snaps. Keep an eye on the forecast and be ready to cover tender seedlings overnight.
Other essential March gardening jobs in the UK include preparing seed beds, chitting potatoes and ventilating your greenhouse on warm days.
Essential Tools & Supplies for March Sowing
Having the right tools makes early-season gardening calmer and more enjoyable. You do not need everything, but a few reliable garden equipment essentials go a long way.
Useful supplies for March include:
- Seed trays and pots
- Peat-free compost
- Garden labels (to keep track of varieties)
- Horticultural fleece or garden cloches
- A dibber or small trowel
March-Planting Seeds at D.T. Brown
March is all about beginnings, not outcomes. We have looked at what to plant in March and reminded ourselves that this is one of the stages in the year where your seedlings are most vulnerable. Make sure you protect your seedlings from the frost where needed, and don’t fall for the sun-warmed promises of false spring.
Take your time and hold off planting things that will struggle in lower temperatures. Most things sown a few weeks late will quickly catch up.
Shop our full range of vegetable seeds and flower seeds for plenty of excellent choices, including our spring-sowing flower seeds. All varieties are tried, tested, and handpicked by our experts to deliver 100% satisfaction, guaranteed. Order now for fast UK delivery.
