With the longer days now setting in, March is a great time to start getting out in the garden and sowing seeds ready for the summer.
There are a range of jobs that you can begin in March, including mowing the lawn, planting summer-flowering bulbs, and topping up raised beds with compost and quality topsoil.
But there are also a delicious and mouth-watering selection of vegetables that can be planted in March.
With your gardening equipment at the ready, here are some of the best and most succulent vegetables you can look to plant this month:
How to grow shallots
As soon as the warmer weather starts to set in, you can start planting your shallots (and onions if you so please), in a depth of around 1cm, and a distance of 30cm from one another.
You’ll want to ensure that you sow the seeds in well-drained soil that has access to full sunlight during the day.
Once that they’re large enough to handle, it’s worth thinning the seedlings apart for medium-sized bulbs, and more distant spacing for larger bulbs.
If you want a head start next year, you can always sow seeds in a greenhouse or on a bright windowsill during the winter months.
How to grow spinach
If you’re looking to grow spinach, you’ll need just a little more preparation to ensure healthy growth.
By digging in two bucketfuls of garden compost per square metre, and raking across 150g of fertiliser per square metre, you can set the ball rolling for an efficient and healthy growing period.
Sow your seeds 2.5cm deep in rows around 20cm apart and thin them to 7.5 cm apart when they are large enough to handle.
After a few weeks you’ll be able to harvest every alternate plant for use in the kitchen.
Once that summer arrives, keep them watered during the dry periods.
Watch out for birds and consider protecting the spinach from them using netting.
How to grow carrots
Able to be sown right up until July, it’s important that carrots are grown in open, sunny lots with both fertile and well-drained soil.
If your soil happens to be stony, or features heavy clay, you might want to consider growing short-root carrots in containers.
Sow them 1cm deep in rows ranging from 15cm-30cm apart, slowly thinning them once that the seedlings start coming up.
The good thing about carrots is that they seldom need watering and are fairly drought resistant for summer periods.
Keep an eye out for carrot fly, but remember that prevention is better than the cure, so ensure that you sow thinly and protect the carrots with barriers made of clear polythene measuring 60cm in height.
How to grow cauliflower
Best grown in very fertile soil, sow thinly at least 2cm deep in a seedbed. You’ll want to make the final rows around 15cm apart for mini cauliflowers, or 60cm for the larger ones.
You’ll need to thin the seedlings to around 15cm or 60 cm (depending on their size), after a few weeks.
The best results will come from sowing in cell trays using good quality compost.
To avoid deformities, water the plants the day they are transported outside, remembering again to water consistently (every 10 days or so during dry weather).
If you find that the leaves are becoming pale and yellowed during growth, look to improve drainage and add lime to make the soil more alkaline.