in the vegetable patch
Spring is almost upon us....
The weather in March continues to be unsettled, with some days of almost balmy, sunny weather, followed by cloudy, rainy and cold days. However, days are definitely getting longer and the temperatures are starting to climb, almost imperceptibly, towards Spring.
Sowing indoors: March is still a good time to start members of the onion family from seed. Other vegetables that you can start indoors include tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower.
Sowing outdoors: Given some protection, for example, under a cloche or low tunnel, cool weather vegetables such as carrots, arugula, radishes, beets, lettuce, endive and Asian greens can be sowed directly. You can also sow several vegetables without additional protection, including peas, radishes, spinach, arugula and Asian greens, but these may take a little longer to germinate compared to seeds sown under some protection.
The wet weather also means a lot of slugs, so be prepared to do battle with them!
For a detailed planting calendar, please refer to
- Seattle Tilth's The Maritime Northwest Garden Guide;
- PDF from Oregon Tilth https://tilth.org/app/uploads/2015/02/OT_PHCalendar_Archive.pdf
- Oregon extension service https://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/techniques/monthly-garden-calendars
- Washington State University extension service https://extension.wsu.edu/snohomish/fall-and-winter-vegetable-gardens-for-western-washington
garden Borders and beyond
March continues to be a good time to plant bareroot trees and shrubs as they become available in the nurseries. This is also the time to finish pruning trees and shrubs before active growth begins. Do not prune spring flowering shrubs or you will cut off this season's blooms. Wait till they have finished flowering before pruning. Read the directions of seed packets to see which flowers can be sown this month. Herbaceous perennials can also be dug up and divided this month as you see emerging new growth.