Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.
~Theodore Roosevelt
With the “official” first day of spring merely eleven (!) days off, it’s a good time to plan monthly garden chores. It’s helpful to keep track of progress and record any notes in a journal throughout each month of the growing season. (As always, please keep in mind your USDA zone, your chores may be accomplished earlier or later than my zone 5b/6a garden.)
March
- Indoors: Now is the time to sow seeds indoors for peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, artichokes, lettuces and Asian greens. Remember to use a sterile starter mix to promote healthy first roots. If you have seedlings started, remember to bottom water with diluted organic fertilizer when the first true leaves appear and thin out crowded plants by snipping extras off at the soil line with a small pair of scissors. Transplant any seedlings with roots extending outside the pot.
- Seeds outdoors: Seeds for spinach, escarole, peas, fava beans, turnips, dill, fennel, parsley, chervil, mache and swiss chard and sets of potatoes, onions, leeks and shallots can be planted in prepared garden beds from mid-month on.
- Plants outdoors: Prune berry brambles and fruit bushes as well as grapevines and ornamentals. Cut back flower stalks and rake out dry debris from beds. Remove thick, matted wet leaves from beds by hand. Fertilize spring bulbs lightly with bone meal worked into the beds.
- Tools: Inspect all garden tools. Clean, sharpen and repair/replace any that require it. You’ll want to have a reliable hoe, rake, spade, pruners and hand trowel for working in the garden. There are many other wonderful tools and gadgets available, these are the necessities.
- Soil: Spring is the time to enrich the garden with compost and manure if it wasn’t done the fall before. Four inches of well-rotted manure spread on top of the garden and turned under will benefit your plants throughout the growing season.
A note about compost: Herbicide residues have been detected in commercial composts and manures. When spread into a garden bed the plants grown remain stunted and may even die. The herbicide can persist in the soil for several years, thus affecting crops for many seasons. There is an article available from Mother Earth News here with more information. It’s always important to know the source of anything you add to your soil. Local farms are often a reliable option for composted manures instead of buying commercially. Check your local Craigslist and Freecycle listings.
That sounds wonderful. I can’t wait until the snow melts so I can get outside and do some of those things. The best compost is always your own!
I agree with you on the compost. The best way to be sure what you’re putting in your garden is to make your own! Happy gardening!
Wow! What a great post today! You need to post this on twitter for others to read. Follow us @MidwestLabsBlog Your site is very cool. Will need to come back more often.
Your little seedlings look so happy! I can’t wait to get out in the garden this spring. My raised beds are still frozen!
Such rascally weather spring brings! Last week was clear and sunny and I almost sowed seeds b/c I got all the beds ready. Yesterday it snowed, hailed and rained. Today thick frost.
Anyone want to sell me a pound of patience?
Just last week I was lamenting the snow and here just a week later it’s sunny and I’m planting! hang in there… spring is just around the corner!:-)
Fickle month of March! I’ve sown peas and favas with a layer of brush atop the beds. No heavy rains, nor snow, nor hail, nor frost will keep these plants from their determined climb in to the sunshine.
(I hope!)
Thanks! I thought it might be helpful to have a list of chores each month to guide new (or seasoned) gardeners along. I’m glad you think it’s helpful!
Lisa,
Love all this extra advice! Sometimes I forget certain things and you have reminded me of a few! I love the design of your scissors! Super cute! I save all the rabbit poo from the winter months and scatter it over my garden and till it in! Rabbit poo works great. This year I am trying Alpaca poo! Im exciteid to get gardening and dirty!
Happy Gardening!
Jenn
Spring brings back all of the excitement of growing we’ve missed all winter! I love that you recycle your rabbit waste into the garden beds. Free and so good for the soil! We’re hoping to add a bunny to our family of pets very soon and maybe a few chickens. There will be lots more compost for the garden!
oh dear – time to start thinning the seedlings. I must be brave. I also received 10 more packs of seed that I forgot I had ordered.
Be brave! Thinning is a must. More seeds?! HOORAY!! Happy planting my friend!