March gardening calendar, hints and tips for indoor, greenhouse, hot house and garden planting and cultivating.

March brings breezes loud and shrill! To the keen gardener, March brings the opportunity to get out into the garden and prepare the soil for action. If the weather is mild the grass will soon be on the way, so it is best now to check over your lawnmower for defects before you begin. Check for blade wear, oil bearings and on electric lawnmowers check the cables for damage. Remember when working on your mower, always remove the spark plug lead on petrol mowers and always unplug electric tools.

If taking an early spring cut on your lawn it is best to use a rotary mower, set the blades fairly high to avoid pulling the grass out by the roots. This type of damage is more prone to happen with a cylinder mower.

For the really keen gardener this is the time to sow vegetable seed and some varieties of annual flower seeds. The soil in the garden, is often wet and cold at this time of year , so one should always choose a good drying day for seed sowing. Nothing will be gained sowing early if the seeds rot away in wet soil. So if conditions are not right, it is better to sit in front of the telly rather than waste your time and money.

So that you don't lose valuable time due to wet conditions, many early vegetables can be started in boxes in a cold greenhouse.
Alternatively, there are many cold frames on the market with which to cover and protect the young plants against the worst of the weather, if you do choose to sow outside.

Now is the time to split that large bog of snowdrops, snowdrops are best replanted straight after flowering. Do not allow the bulbs to dry out before planting them in their new location..

March is the last opportunity to prune back unruly growth on your shrubs, before leaf growth begins. In order to retain the flowering buds, do not prune the early flowering rhododendrons magnolias camellias and azaleas until the Autumn. Theses four shrubs along with heathers will benefit from an application of peat around the base of the plant. The peat not only keeps the ground damp but also makes the soil acid for theses lime hating plants.
In most areas it is still possible to do dormant spraying of fruit trees until the 15th, after that date dilute the spray by 1/2. Spraying should be done on a still day with the temperature above 40 degrees F.

Late March and early April is a good time to transplant shrubs and trees. As soon as the soil is workable, but before buds have swelled or broken open, you can move shrubs and trees.

Fertilize shrubs and trees if this wasn't done in February. Use an acid type rhododendron fertilizer to feed evergreens, conifers, broad leaf evergreens, rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias. Use an all-purpose fertilizer to feed roses and other deciduous trees and shrubs.
If you use granular type fertilizers, be sure to water it in thoroughly.

Finish pruning fruit trees this month - before the buds swell.
Perennials, annuals, and bulbs

There is often a strong temptation to start removing winter mulches from your flower beds.... WAIT!!! Pull the mulch off gradually as the plants show signs of new growth. The purpose of winter mulch is to act as a protector from sudden changes of temperature and chilling winds, so keep in mind that it is still winter. Acclimatize your plants by removing the mulch over a period of days, allowing the light and air to reach the new growth slowly. It is much better to remove the mulch a little later than to remove it to early.

Roses can be pruned this month. See the pruning roses page details on how to prune the various types of roses. Severe pruning results in nicer long stemmed flowers and more compact bushes. Begin to spray roses for black spot.
Feed your roses.

Sow seeds of summer blooming annuals indoors. Click for tips

Seeds which were started indoors last month may be transplanted from the flats into peat pots and given dilute fertilizer.

If you have a greenhouse, it is time to take cuttings of 'wintered over' plants such as Coleus, Chrysanthemums, Geraniums, and other perennials.

Alternating thawing and freezing can tear plant roots and even force the plant right out of it's hole. If you notice any plants that have heaved, push them back into the earth, and tamp lightly with your foot.
Divide and transplant summer blooming perennials and fertilize established ones as soon as new growth appears.

Plant tender bulbs and tubers (gladiola, lilies and dahlias).
You may continue planting additional bulbs every two weeks until mid June to ensure a continuous source of bloom.

Prune winter Jasmine after flowering; cut honeysuckle back to 3ft.

Cut back established penstemons. Divide snowdrops while in leaf.

Remove all dead blooms from bulbs.

Fertilize any bulbs that have finished blooming with bone meal or bulb booster.

Plant Primroses and Pansies

Pinch off tips of Sweet Pea seedlings and Mums, when they are 4 inches tall.

Fruits and vegetables
Take a little time to prepare the vegetable garden soil for planting. The addition of well-rotted manure, processed manure, peat moss or compost are good additives for building compost humus in the soil.

Peas and sweet peas may be planted right now as well as perennial vegetables like Asparagus, Rhubarb, Horseradish and artichokes.

Eggplant, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, celery, leeks, onions, early potatoes, and radish seeds may be planted in the garden about mid month.

Spinach, Chard, Cabbage, Cauliflower, and other hardy vegetables can be seeded or set out late in the month.

Plant Strawberries, Blueberries, Currants, Loganberries, Boysenberries, Grapes and fruit trees.

Add some horse manure around your Rhubarb.

Time to start tomatoes, lettuce, and many other vegetables from seed.

House Plants

House plants will react to longer days and brighter light at this time by putting out new growth. The end of this month is a good time to pinch them back to generate new growth and to thicken them. You can then begin fertilizing again with a dilute solution of soluble house plant food.

Turn your houseplants a quarter turn each week to make sure all sides of the plant receive adequate light, and to keep the shape of the plant balanced.

Mist or spray your houseplants to clean away the winters dust, prevent Spider Mites and add a little humidity.

Remain vigilante in watching for insects and pests. It is much easier to win a 'bug war' if you are aware of the infestation in it's early stages.

Odds and ends

The most dreaded tasks of all is weeding, but it is one that really needs to be accomplished before the weeds have a chance to flower and go to seed.

Remember once the weeds go to seed you can be fighting that weed seed for up to seven years or more. Most weeds can simply be pulled or cultivated out of the garden while they are young.

Turn the compost pile, adding any course mulch which was removed from the garden to it.

Keep an eye out for Aphids (spray off with water) and Cutworms (Cutworm Dust).

Repair damaged areas of the lawn.... De-thatch, rake or aerate. Apply Dolomite Lime to sweeten the soil if needed. Most lawns will need a spring feeding but if thatching or liming needs to be done, do those jobs first.. If moss is a problem, a combination fertilizer and moss killer can be applied, to do both jobs in one easy application. Over-seeding can be done as the last step, after the lawn has been fertilized.

Test your soil for pH to see if any amendments are necessary. A general rule of thumb is to add 4 lbs. of lime per 100 sq. ft. of garden for every pH point below 6.5, or 1 lb. of sulphur per 100 sq. ft. for every pH point above 7.5. Sawdust, composted oak leaves, wood chips, peat moss, cottonseed meal, and leaf mould lower the pH while ashes of hardwoods, bone meal, crushed marble, and crushed oyster shells raise the pH. The best way to adjust pH is gradually, over several seasons.

March is a good time to note areas of poor drainage. If there are pools of water in your yard that do not drain. Fill in the low spot or scoop out a channel for the water to drain away.

Clean out all of your birdhouses now, so that they will be ready when the birds return.

Repair any fencing, arbours, or trellis work that is weak or has broken over the winter ... before you get too busy!

Check the plants under the eaves of the house and under tall evergreens to see that they have sufficient moisture.

If the ground is workable at all (not frozen and not too wet), now is an excellent time to turn the soil. Not only will this expose insect eggs to the effects of winter and hungry birds, the freezing will help to break apart heavy clods of dirt.

Don't forget your house plants! Dust on the foliage can clog the leaf pores, so clean them up a little with a damp cloth, or a quick shower under the tap. Actively growing plants will benefit from a shot of liquid plant food. On very cold nights, it is a good time to close the curtains or blinds between the window and your house plants. Make certain that your plants have sufficient humidity, by setting them on a tray filled with clean pebbles, and a little water, or by simply setting a cup of water nearby.

You can force Hyacinth, Paper white Narcissus, and Lily of the valley bulbs into bloom indoors, in a shallow bowl of water, or in pots this month.
If you can't have spring yet.... fake it!

Keep a close eye open for insects on your house plants. If you are lucky enough to have a greenhouse, be sure to check those plants carefully too.

Extra time this month might well be spent getting the garden tools ready for spring. Sharpen and oil tools such as shovels, shears, mowers and the like. Power tools and power mowers may benefit from a good tune-up. Could the wheelbarrow use a fresh coat of paint?

It's not to early to begin to think of a strategy for new spring plantings. You might want to create a small map of your garden, and use it as a guide for ordering plants and seeds from the catalogues which will be arriving in the mail soon.

In the event of snow, be sure to shake or brush off the white stuff from the branches of your evergreens and shrubs. The light fluffy snow poses no real threat, but if it should become wet and frozen, the weight dramatically increases. Branches are more brittle when the plants are dormant, and the weight of the snow may snap them off.