MY garden is still pretty wet. I’m sure others are too.
It takes a while for all the rain, that has drenched our soil over the last few weeks, to drain away.
Having said that, it’s fingers crossed that things will improve and the usual March plantings will get done in a timely way.
Be prepared to leap into action when conditions are on your side and don’t get too hung up on the 17th as the ideal planting date.
There’s a lot of change and a lot of flexibility within the month of March.
Keep harvesting
Purple sprouting broccoli plants took a bit of a battering this winter, but they should start producing some lovely shoots now.
Harvest regularly, when shoots are large enough, but do allow plenty of spears to grow before you start to pick and don’t strip a plant.
Kale plants will also produce some tasty shoots. Pick these before flowers open for a delicious treat.
Over-wintered spinach and chard will thrust up strong central shoots soon, in an attempt to flower. Keep picking leaves while they are tender and you should get several more pickings out of plants.
Purple sprouting broccoli is a delicious spring treat. (Photo: Ben Russell)
Time to sow
There is still time to sow tomato seeds, so do this as soon as you can. Plants will grow if you sow seed later, but they don’t seem to grow as big, or produce as abundantly, as early sowings.
I like to sow cucumber seeds around the middle of March. If I sow sooner I find that plants get too big to handle easily before conditions are right to plant them out. Keep compost damp but not wet for young plants.
Try a couple of courgette seeds if you have a polytunnel or greenhouse. Start them in a propagator and keep at 15-18C until they are ready to plant out.
You can start early beetroot, leeks, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and lettuce seed in modules now. Be prepared for less than perfect germination if conditions are cold.
Think about flowers
You may well be enjoying the sight of daffodils, iris, primroses, muscari, snowdrops and more in your flower borders.
Look for delicate fritillaries unfolding flower heads – these plants will spread if you allow them to seed so don’t be in a rush to deadhead. There will be a rush of colour over the coming weeks, but it’s always a joy to watch the earliest flowers unfolding.
And think about sowing some flower seeds. Sweet peas are a favourite, as are marigolds and nasturtiums which look pretty as well as repelling unwanted pests.
Delicate fritillaries look lovely in the flower border. (Photo: Ben Russell)
Peas and broad beans
Check under cloches and covers where you are growing autumn-sown plants.
You should remove coverings as soon as plants start to flower – this allows access for insect pollinators. Pea and bean flowers are self-fertile, but you always get better pod set if plants are exposed to pollinators plus a bit of wind to shake plants.
You may also need to provide more supports if plants are growing tall.
Don’t let any stems trail along the ground – slugs and snails become more active as soon as the soil starts to warm. Peas need short twiggy sticks, or net, to support growing stems. Broad beans do best with sticks and strings to support the whole row.
You may still need to throw covers back over the row if a hard frost is forecast, but these overwintered plants should be pretty hardy in most other conditions.
Finish pruning
If buds are bursting on fruit trees and bushes then you are really running out of time. Aim to remove diseased and damaged branches as soon as you can and after that go for misplaced and crossing ones. You may have to leave any hard pruning until next winter if you have already missed the moment for this season.
Blueberry bushes may already be in flower – if so, leave them unpruned at this stage. Aim to raise net coverings as high as you can so bushes are protected.
Tidy the greenhouse
You need to start thinking about best use of space in your polytunnel or greenhouse.
Remove any plants that have finished producing and don’t cherish anything that is mouldy or diseased for the sake of a handful of leaves. The aim is to have some clear beds with healthy soil all ready for the plantings to come.
The next few weeks are busy ones and it won’t be long before you get beds ready for summer crops to go in the ground.
Be one jump ahead and get some feed dug into the beds. Leave doors and windows open when you can – this will help reduce mould and mildew problems.
Tidy benches and stack clean pots – try to remove any messy corners where pests can hide. Clean and disease-free is the aim as the season kicks off!
