what to do in march .............

in the vegetable garden

a) keep hoeing regularly, when weeds are small. do so on a dry day but collect up the weeds and compost if rain is likely, to prevent re-rooting.
b) sow green manures where soil is bare awaiting tender crops in may/june.
c) warm soil for future crops by placing black or clear plastic sheets, cloches or garden fleece on the soil.

sowing and planting

a) when soil and growing conditions are right sow early vegetables outdoors - broad beans, early carrots, parsnips, maincrop peas, radish, spinach beet, turnip.
b) and plant outdoors – asparagus, onion sets, potatoes, shallots, Jerusalem Artichokes.
this is a good time of year to prepare asparagus beds if you have not done it already.

sowing in trays and modules to transplant outside

a) raising plants to transplant outdoors (or under cloches or in a greenhouse/ tunnel) gives you a head start on the season. it is simple to provide extra warmth for a few pots and trays of seeds - in a warm room, or on a heated bench for example. but remember - the seedlings that appear will also need some warmth and good light levels.
b) sow in trays and modules - baby beetroot, brussels sprouts - for early crops, kohlrabi, early cabbage, summer cabbage, early cauliflower, bulb onions, spring onions, tomatoes - for growing in a cold greenhouse, lettuce.
c) raising seeds outdoors for transplanting - an outdoor seedbed can be used to germinate seeds in, before moving them to their permanent growing position and is a good idea for crops that don't mind root disturbance, especially winter brassicas and leeks. sow cabbage, brussels sprouts, kale, broccoli, cauliflower etc. & leeks.
d) direct sowing under cover - hardy crops that are usually grown outdoors can be sown under cloches or in the soil beds of a greenhouse. they will romp ahead and give welcome fresh produce at a lean time of year.
sow under cover lettuce - loose-leaf or seedling varieties are best, kohl rabi, radish, rocket, baby beetroot - use an early variety, resistant to bolting, spinach, salad onions, peas - mangetout or sugar snap are best, potatoes - compact early varieties & globe artichokes.
unless your greenhouse or polytunnel is frost free you will need to protect tender plants if a frost is forecast.

other jobs

a) “top dress" overwintered crops, such as autumn planted onions, broad beans and spring cabbage, to give spring growth a boost. use a good rich garden compost, well rotted manure or chicken manure pellets.
b) finish digging in overwintered green manures such as grazing rye and winter tares.
it’s not too late to start a compost trench for your runner beans.
c) what you feed your vegetable plots with will depend on what you are going to grow next, what was there last, and the basic fertility of your soil. root crops and legumes (peas and beans) should thrive without any additional feeding. other crops may benefit from a dressing of manure, well rotted compost or an organic fertiliser. use compost at a rate of up to 2 wheelbarrow loads per 10square metres, manure at half that rate.
d) don't forget to plan a crop rotation taking into account the fertility of your plot.

pest watch
a) check the leaves and stems of vegetables for pests and diseases, at least once a week.
dig up any 'volunteer' potato plants growing from tubers left in the ground from last year, they could be carrying the potato blight fungus.
b) bury stems and stumps of overwintered brassicas as soon as they have finished cropping in a compost heap, or in a trench in the ground. this will help reduce the population of mealy aphids and whitefly which otherwise would simply move on to your spring planted crops.
c) clear up any plant debris, and remove diseased leaves from overwintered crops; put them on the compost heap.
d) put out slug traps before making new sowings and plantings and maintain them whilst seedlings are vulnerable. check regularly and keep topped up with bait such as beer or formulated bait.
e) don't plant potatoes into cold, dry soil. the potato shoots are more prone to attack by the fungus, rhizoctonia solani causing stem canker, in these conditions. shoots may fail to emerge when attacks are severe.