Veg to plant in March and things to do.

Sally_A

Early March - get leeks in, started off in trays in the greenhouse is my preferred method.

Dig the trenches where your potatoes are going to go, this will enable the sun to get to the bottom of the trench and warm the soil up.

Cauliflowers can be sown now - I'm a bit pants at those, so refer to the seed packet

Mid March - check your pea packets, as some can go in now, I'm doing Mangetout rather than peas, and must admit I'm a tad earlier than last year, and sowed some today in a seed tray in the greenhouse, last year I didn't line the seed tray, but this year there is newspaper in the bottom, I tend to plant them out like carpet tiles.

Shallot and Onion sets can go in.

Parsnips can be sown too - sow 3 every 8 inches or so, and thin out as they grow to the strongest one - it chokes me to kill the thinnings, but this is the only way you will get big parsnips (Don't sow into manured ground).

Plant your first early potatoes if the weather/ground is suitable.

You can sow an early crop of French climbing beans now, but only if you can protect them when you plant them out, I'll probably do about 16 Cosse Violette, and when they are big enough to transplant into the garden, plant on the inside of the wigwam, and shelter the outside with perspex or old window panes.

Cucumbers get sown now - I only do Marketmore which can be an indoor or outdoor crop.

End March - sow more french beans under cover.

You can risk sowing courgettes and squashes now if you are in a warmer part of the UK.

Sprouts can be started off now, along with red cabbage and kale.

Throughout March - keep sowing all your favourite herbs on the windowsill.

Sally_A

Forgot to mention PSB (Purple sprouting broccoli) - spends a long time in the ground, but very welcome in late winter of the next year.

Very end of March (or early April) my sweetcorn goes in, it's in an unheated greenhouse and a seed in each 3.5 or 4 inch pot. Those that fail to sprout within say 14 days, have a quick look-see, and the seed may have turned to mush - due to unexpected higher temps/humidity, but it's still not too late to plant more.

Still waiting for my shallots and onions to arrive (ordered December as part of a Christmas present from daughter to me) - am getting a bit twitchy.

elantan

roughly how far behind is Scotland to this plan?

Sally_A

Truthfully, I don't have a clue, but there are websites where you can gauge your average temps over summer, you will also get longer daylight hours over the summer months.

How far up are you, I managed to get a chappy Nr Huntley to get his first ever runner bean harvest, but toms had to be inside.

budgetboo

Do you know when I should plant root parsley? I haven't got many seeds so don't want to waste them.

Garlic to go in the ground tomorrow & a trip to get manure and dig it in is my big plan for the month. Hopefully the raspberries and goosegogs I ordered will arrive & I can get then dug in.

Late April is my last frost.

Gonna go herb crazy this month on the window sill, now my peppers have got going. I love fresh herbs.

It feels like we are going to have another cold snap here in London so I don't want to risk moving anything onto my plastic greenhouse till the end of the month. This restricts my space on the flat window sills, but April is still plenty of time for most things.

Sally_A

Never tried Hamburg Root Parsley - sorry.

elantan

i'm in central Scotland so not so far up ... but i do know there is a difference sadly lol ... we need heat up here folks if there is any spare lol

[Deleted User]

belt and braces tonight re the temperature. I know that my seedlings, including tomatoes, have all been fine in a patiogro covered with the poly cover plus a fleece cover but that was at down to 4 with possibly ground frost. Just saw the netweather forcast for tonight and it will be 0 with it feeling like -4 so no chances re the seedlings. Toms and cucs are in a coolish room and whatever looks pretty vulnerable has gone in the patiogro (I have a slatted floor on the base) and babies in plugs have lids on as well. I have put a spare fleece on top so that is 2 fleeces as well as the poly cover. They should be fine. All winter lettuces survived -14 so have simply gone below a verandah. Various hardy but small types are in the little polycarbonate greenhouse with bubble wap on top

moneymabel

I've got Marketmore seeds but they will be growing outside-can I still plant them now or should I wait? Also i have planted tomato seeds in a unheated propagator inside, they have sprouted but are very leggy, should I wait until they have grown 'proper' leaves to pot them on...or do it now before they get any taller!? Thanks Sally for your posts-they are realy useful!

Sally_A

Whereabouts in the UK are you Money mabel?
Think you may have been a bit premature for outside Marketmore cuces, mine will be sown around 16th March.

Tomatoes you get a 2nd chance at, as leggy ones can be potted on (after true leaves have formed) as deep as the seed leaves - but they will need the best light you can give them.

moneymabel

I'm in Devon Sally- haven't planted the cuces yet, just have the seeds left overr from planiting last yearn I'm waiting for instructions lol! Will wait til mid march then, thankyou so much!