March Gardening Tips: Preparing Your Garden for Spring's Arrival
Image by Jack Blueberry
As March unfolds, it brings with it the promise of warmer weather and natire’s awakening. For gardeners, this transitional period is the perfect time to prepare your outdoor space for the vibrant burst of spring growth ahead. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or just starting out, these gardening tips for late March will help you make the most of this busy time in your garden.
Here are our top ten tips for making the most of your garden during this vibrant period:
1. Clean Up Winter Debris: Before embarking on any new planting or maintenance tasks, start by tidying up your garden space. Remove any debris left over from winter, such as fallen branches, dead leaves, and other clutter. Clearing up your garden not only improves its appearance but also helps to prevent pests and diseases from becoming established as the weather warms up.
2. Prepare the Soil: Healthy soil is the basis of a thriving garden, so take the time to prepare it properly for the new growing season. Begin by loosening compacted soil with a garden fork or tiller: breaking up any clumps will make for better drainage and root growth. If your soil lacks nutrients, consider enriching it by incorporating organic matter such as compost or well-rotted manure to make it more fertile.
3. Start Seeds Indoors: Late March is an ideal time to start germinating seeds indoors for plants that require a longer growing season or need a head start before they are transplanted outdoors. Vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants, as well as annual flowers such as petunias and marigolds, can be started indoors now to give them a flying start on the season. Use seed-propagating trays or containers filled with a high-quality potting mix, and provide adequate light and warmth for germination.
4. Plant Hardy Vegetables: If the soil has warmed up enough, plant hardy vegetables directly in the ground. Consider planting vegetables such as potatoes, onions, carrots, and radishes, that can withstand cooler temperatures.
5. Prune and Divide Perennials: As perennials begin to emerge from their winter hibernation, take the opportunity to prune away any dead or damaged growth and divide overcrowded plants. After spring-flowering shrubs such as forsythia and lilac have finished blossoming, prune them to maintain their shape and encourage healthy growth for next year's flowers.
Pruning encourages new growth and improves the overall appearance of the plant, and dividing them helps to rejuvenate crowded clumps and allows you to propagate new plants for your garden or to share them with others.
6. Support Climbing Plants: If you're growing peas, beans, or other climbing vegetables, install supports such as trellises or stakes to help them climb and to keep the pea and bean pods off the ground.
7. Plan and Design: While your garden may still be in the early stages of waking up, now is the perfect time to plan and design your outdoor space for the season ahead. Take stock of your existing plants, noting their growing habits, colours, and when they bloom, and think about how you could rearrange them, or add new plants to create visual interest and cohesion.
Then sketch out a rough plan for your garden beds, keeping in mind factors such as their exposure to sun and soil conditions, and the plants that will be compatible with these.
8. Prepare for Frost: Despite the warmer temperatures, late March can still bring unexpected frosts or cold snaps, especially in temperate climates. Keep an eye on the weather forecast and be prepared to protect tender plants with frost cloth or another covering if necessary. Consider planting frost-tolerant varieties or wait to plant temperature-sensitive crops until the risk of frost has passed.
9. Maintain Watering and Mulching: As the weather warms up and plants begin to actively grow, be mindful of their need for water and provide regular irrigation as necessary. Watering plants deeply and less often encourages strong root development and drought tolerance, so aim to water copiously once or twice a week rather than shallowly every day. It’s also a good idea to apply a layer of mulch around your plants to help to conserve moisture in the soil, suppress weeds and regulate soil temperature.
10. Stay Ahead of Weeds: With the warmer weather, weeds will start to sprout more vigorously. Control the weeds by regularly pulling them up or mulching them before they have a chance to become established.
Late March is a key time in the garden, offering a window of opportunity to prepare for the abundance of spring growth that lies ahead. By following these tips, you can set the stage for a successful and bountiful growing season, ensuring that your outdoor space flourishes with beauty and vitality in the months to come. Happy gardening!