Are you confused about what you should be doing in your garden during the month of March?
You may assume it’s a busy time, but in reality, it’s rather slow for people in each planting zone. We all have a few basic items we should be doing.
But once you've completed those tasks, you still have time to get a few more days of rest in before the major gardening season hits.
If you’re curious about what your chore list should look for March, I’m going to break it down for you by planting zone and region.
Here’s what the month of March should look like for you and your garden:
March Gardening Chores by Zone
Planting Zone Three
If you’re living in planting zone three, you’re probably still trying to thaw out from the long winter. If your days feel long, you’ll be glad to know a glimmer of gardening season is shining through this month.
The only real chore you should be attempting around your garden this month is starting a few seeds. Make sure you start them indoors and under a grow light. You can start:
When you get those started, be sure to care for them properly and continue to wait patiently because spring will arrive soon enough.
Planting Zone Four
Zone four may still be a little chilly during March too, but the good news is you’ll get a glimmer of spring this month in your area too.
You have a few chores you must accomplish to be prepared when the gardening season hits. Make sure you check them off the to-do list and are prepared when the busy season hits.
Prune fruit trees while they’re still dormant.
Start seeds for tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants indoors and under grow lights.
Planting Zone Five
If you’re located in planting zone five you have a few more items on your to-do list than some of the previous zones.
It’s important to start seeds approximately six to eight weeks before they’re ready to be transplanted outdoors to give them time to prosper.
Plus, it’s important to plant cool-weather crops while the temperatures are still cooperating. Try to stay on task this month to keep from falling behind before the growing season truly starts:
- Start seeds indoors and under grow lights for tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants
- Prune your roses, trees, or shrubs for any winter damage they may have incurred
- Plant potatoes, lettuce, carrots, peas, and radishes
- At the end of March, transplant early varieties of tomatoes outdoors
Planting Zone Six
Zone six is one of the busier zones this month as well. If you live in this zone, it’s time to pull out your gardening tools and get ready to put some items in the ground.
If you’ve started crops in previous months, it’s time to put some of them out. You should be purchasing certain plants for your landscaping.
Plus, you’ll also be starting more seeds. If this gets your gardening-blood pumping, you’re ready to begin digging in the dirt again.
Here’s what you should be doing in zone six:
- Plant your rose bushes, landscaping bushes, and trees as the temperatures begin to rise
- If you started Cole crops, it’s time to transplant them. Put your cabbage, broccoli, and other crops in a cold-frame to get your garden started
- Start your nightshade seeds: tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant
Planting Zone Seven
I live in zone seven, and I can’t tell you how excited I get each year when March arrives. The ground starts to thaw, and it’s time to plant new life in our yard.
If you’re ready to see life come back to your property, and you live in zone seven, you’re going to love your tasks for this month.
Here’s what you should be doing in zone seven this month:
- It’s time to plant heartier herbs such as thyme, chives, and rosemary
- Transplant your Cole crops during this month. They’re ready to be moved outdoors!
- It’s time to plant potatoes and asparagus
- When the middle of March rolls around, it’s time to plant carrots, beets, kohlrabi, lettuce, radishes, and turnips
- At the end of the month, plant swiss chard
Planting Zone Eight
As you get to planting zones with higher numbers, the temperatures stay warmer. Therefore, there’s more planting to be done.
In zone eight, it’s time to plant! You’ll spend the beginning of the month planting cold hearty crops and begin planting crops which prefer warmer temperatures towards the end of the month.
Here’s what you’ll be doing this month in your garden in planting zone eight:
- Plant beets, turnips, mustard greens, broccoli, spinach, and carrots
- At the end of the month, plant squash, peppers, cucumbers, corn, and tomatoes
Planting Zone Nine
If you live in planting zone nine, you won’t only be planting specific crops, you’ll be preparing other plants to go in the ground.
But you can’t forget about caring for your delicate citrus trees either. Though the list may appear short, the workload is slightly heavier than in other locations.
Here’s how your garden will be keeping you busy during the month of March:
- Plant cabbage, spinach, radishes, lettuce, and broccoli
- Prepare your pepper, tomato, and eggplant seedlings for planting by hardening them off in a greenhouse or another protected area
- Prune all frost damage from your citrus trees
Planting Zone Ten
The temperatures are feeling great in planting zone ten, and your plants are ready for their debut. March will keep you busy because it’s time to plant and tend to a variety of veggies and fruit.
If you’ve missed the days spent in the garden with your hands working through the soil, you won’t have to miss it any longer.
March will bring these chores to you and your garden:
- Plant sweet potatoes, okra, cucumbers, watermelon, and greens
- Once seedlings are in the ground, care for them by applying compost around the base of your new plants
March Gardening Tips by Region
It’s a great idea to cross-reference what you should be doing in your garden by both planting zone and regional tips.
If you’re like me, you may live on the edge of two planting zones. In this case, it’s good to see which chores cross, based on your region.
This will help you keep your garden looking great and make sure you don’t miss any vital windows of opportunity when it comes to planting and care.
Here’s what each region should be doing in March:
Southwest
- Plant cool weather crops such as beets, peas, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots.
- At the end of the month, direct sow beans, green onions, cucumbers, corn, squash, okra, and melons into your garden plot or raised bed areas.
- Transplant peppers, tomatoes, artichokes, and eggplant seedlings.
- Fertilize fruit trees when the leaves begin to look bushy.
Northwest
- Add compost to the soil as soon as it thaws.
- Begin tomato seeds. They’ll need eight weeks to grow before transplanting.
- Plant any new trees while the ground is moist, and the temperatures are still low.
- If the temperatures are at or above 40° Fahrenheit, plant berries.
- While 40° temperatures are still around, plant kale, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, onions, peas, spinach, and radishes.
- When the ground has thawed, plant rhubarb and asparagus too.
Midwest
- Start seeds: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts.
- Get busy pruning your fruit trees while they’re still dormant.
- Even if snow is still on the ground, sow peas.
- Fertilize your rhubarb and asparagus plants.
Northeast
- Prune fruit trees until the buds begin to fill out. If the temperatures are at 40° Fahrenheit or higher, spray with a dormant spray to boost the trees’ health.
- If snow is on the ground, it doesn’t matter. Sow your crop of peas.
- Spread dark plastic over your garden plot to help the soil warm faster.
- Start seeds inside and under a grow light for: Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, and lettuce.
Southeast
- Plant greens, spring onions, and radishes.
- If the frost threat has diminished, transplant tomato and pepper seedlings.
- Plant beans, corn, and squash when the threat of frost is gone.
- Prune trees while they’re still dormant.
This chore list will either make you sweat or get excited with anticipation. I hope it’s the latter. Gardening is a great way to produce your own food, get exercise, be self-sufficient, and a wonderful way to relieve stress too.
Remember, these are only suggestions as to what you should be doing around your garden this month. You can pick and choose which chores pertain to you and what your intentions are for your garden this year.
Per the usual, we wish you all the luck in the world with your gardening efforts this year and hope you have a beautiful garden to represent your hard work this year.
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