Planting Zone: 8
March begins to bring warmer weather here in Georgia. The month is crammed full of things to do. As gardeners it means that we get to do the one thing we love the most, plant our seeds and transplants! While there are still many gardening chores that need to be done, our Spring Gardening Guide is here to help you make the most of the month of March!
Spring Garden Planting
It's March and this means it is time to get a head start on what needs to be done next. Daylight savings is upon us which means lengthening of days. The spring rains are always welcome and the warmer weather means that there will be fast growth. Now is the time to finish cleaning up your garden beds and planting areas.
One of the delights of planning for the growing season is going through all the seed catalogs. In fact it can be outright addicting. When looking at what seeds to plant it is important to note their planting specifications, days to germination, and maturity. If you have kept notes from previous years then you will know what has worked well and what was not entirely successful. Doing this will help you plan from year to year by knowing when to sow seeds, when to transplant, and when to harvest your plantings. This was very helpful to us when we decided to change up how we would grow tomatoes. Now we use a mix of indeterminate and determinate varieties to meet our growing needs.
Now is a really good time to consider what happened in the garden last year. Was it overrun with pests or disease? March allows you a time to investigate what happened and what measures this year you can put into place to reduce your pest and disease pressure.
If you have spaces in your garden, the seed catalogs will come in very handy to help you decide how to fill them. Consider companion planting and intercropping. This will also help with pest pressure, not to mention it makes your garden more interesting and absolutely gorgeous!
You may still need those row covers out, as we can still get cold weather. March can be unpredictable that way. After planting tender transplants, or as seeds begin to sprout, your row covers will come in handy to protect them from really cold or freezing weather.
Garden Preparedness and Maintenance
It is time to finish up your spring cleaning as warmer temperatures are just around the corner. Getting a head start on the growing season will make life a lot easier. Making sure your garden is prepared ahead of time will save you much heartache and hard work later!
Clean up and Clearing out Garden Beds.
Finish cleaning up and clearing out your garden beds. It's nearly time to plant so these need to be ready ahead of time.
Amending and Fertilizing the Garden Soil
Soil health is really important; this is the life of your plant. This is where your compost pile and your vermicompost (compost from your worm bin if you have one) is put to good use. If you have not yet finished cleaning up and clearing out your garden beds, after that task is complete, take enough compost and make a layer of at least 1-2 inches thick on the top of your cleaned out beds. We personally do not till this in, we allow the earthworms and the other microorganisms that live in the compost to do that work for us.
Mulch the Garden Beds
Continue mulching your garden beds. This will help to keep weeds at bay as well as help prevent compaction and runoff.
Garlic and Onions
If you have grown garlic, now is the time to side dress with compost tea or foliar feed as they are really starting to grow.
Garden Tools and Supplies
Not only is it important to get your garden beds prepared ahead of time, but your garden tools and supplies need to be taken care of ahead of time also. Spring will be here before you know it! If you haven't already done so in February, it is important to look at your tools and determine what needs to be done. Do they need cleaning? Are they broken and need to be replaced? It can be very frustrating for a gardener to reach for a tool and find you do not have it, it is broken and you need a new one, or the tool you need must have maintenance done. Trust me, we know this from personal experience. We have experienced all three situations!
Clean your equipment before you use it again in the new growing season. This will help keep your garden from any diseases that might have plagued it last year.
Starting Seeds Indoors
Before starting seeds indoors, it is important to know your zone's last frost date. This helps you determine when to start your seeds so that your seedlings are ready for transplant at the right time. Once you know the last frost date for your area, you will need to calculate when to start your seeds indoors. Look at the seed packet, locate the seed maturation date, and simply count back that number of days from the last frost date.
What to Sow and Plant in March
Direct sow - Early March
Transplant - Early March
Begin Indoors - Early to Mid March
Fresh Harvest In March
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If overwintered you can harvest | |
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If in storage you will need to check | |
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Herbs and Flowers
Don't forget about herbs and flowers! They can all be started in Mid to late March for transplanting after the last frost in April (Zone 8).
Flowers and herbs make great companion planting. Our all time favorite to plant is the African Marigold. It is stunning in the garden.
Sunflowers can be directly sown in or around your garden. Just follow the growing instructions on the back of the seed packet. Mexican sunflowers, both the red and the yellow are loved by bees.
So make the most of this time of year. Decide what varieties of vegebles, herbs and flowers you will be planting and purchase your seeds and start your warm weather seeds indoors. Finish up your garden beds so they are ready for direct sowing and transplanting, spring is right around the corner!
Happy gardening!
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