Organic Gardening - what to sow in March
With March comes the beginning of spring and a busy time in the garden. It's the perfect month to sow your seeds in preparation for longer days and warmer soil.
Flowering Plants
Flowering Plants
- Sow sweet peas in pots for early blooms.
- Start sunflowers and cosmos indoors for summer.
- Sow calendula seeds directly outdoors.
- Sow nasturtium seeds directly in garden beds.
- Sow hardy annuals like marigolds and poppies.
- Plant summer bulbs like lilies in borders.
- Plant bare root roses in weed-free, fertile soil.
- Sow wildflower seed mixes in clay heavy soils this month.
Vegetables
Vegetables
- Plant onion and shallot sets directly in soil.
- Start radishes and spinach in garden beds.
- Plant asparagus crowns in sunny areas.
- Start large tomato varieties like beefsteaks and plums in trays undercover.
- Sow courgette seeds on a sunny windowsill.
- Sow cabbage and cauliflower seeds indoors.
- Sow broccoli seeds in modular trays.
- Plant first early potato varieties in well dug, unfrozen soil.
Fruit
Fruit
- Plant strawberry runners in beds or pots.
- Plant gooseberry bushes in well-drained soil.
- Plant new raspberry canes, noting down the variety.
- Plant blueberries in acidic compost.
- Plant rhubarb crowns in rich soil.
- Plant blackcurrant and redcurrant bushes.
- Protect budding fruit trees from frost with fleece.
- Check for aphid damage on fruit bushes.
General Gardening Jobs
General Gardening Jobs
- Clear weeds to prevent early competition.
- Prepare beds with organic compost.
- Mulch around existing plants.
- Ventilate greenhouses on warm days.
- Check for pests on emerging plants.
- Top-dress lawns with compost.
- Test pond water for a balanced pH.
- Cover early seedlings with cloches.
Pots & Containers
- Re-pot houseplants that have outgrown containers.
- Remove the top third of soil in containers and replace with a multi-purpose, peat-free compost.
- Start herbs like parsley and coriander indoors on a sunny windowsill.
Wildlife
- Set up nesting boxes for birds.
- Install insect hotels to encourage pollinators.
- Clean bird baths and feeders regularly.
Pruning
- Prune roses back to outward-facing buds.
- Shape summer-blooming clematis, removing dead growth.
- Prune buddleia to encourage new shoots.
Organic Gardening Tip: Using natural mulches like straw and compost not only conserves soil moisture but also helps suppress weeds, enrich soil, and improve plant health throughout the season.
Written by: Sophie Essex, garden writer
Sophie Essex is a freelance garden writer with a passion for horticulture and environmental conservation. She's qualified with a BSc in Botany/Plant Biology from the University of Plymouth and a MSc in Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Plants from The University of Edinburgh.
Sophie has also worked as a professional gardener and landscaper, developing her practical skills at Cornwall's Eden Project, the National Trust for Scotland, and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
