Gardening in March

Plant

Beetroot, broccoli, cabbages, cauliflower, cavolo nero, celery, kale, lettuce, radishes, rocket, spinach, silverbeet, spring onions, coriander, parsley, oregano, rosemary, sage, and thyme.

It is advisable to start these plants in trays and then transplant them into your garden once they have grown sufficiently.

Harvest

Beans (all types except broad beans), beetroot, broccoli, cabbages, capsicums, carrots, cauliflowers, celery, chillies, courgettes, cucumbers, lettuce, marrows, peas, potatoes, sweetcorn, tomatoes.

Fruit Tree Care

Harvest grapes, apples, guava, pears, rhubarb, walnuts, passion fruit, and late peaches.

Plant evergreen frost-resistant fruits like feijoa and guavas.

Remove runners from strawberry plants and pot them up for winter planting.

It's an ideal time to plant citrus trees, including lemon, orange, lime, and mandarin. Check out our citrus tree fundraiser to order your citrus trees in early May.

Pruning - after stone fruits have finished fruiting, prune to shape and remove any dead or diseased branches.

Apply a layer of mulch and feed around the base of fruit trees.

Chores

Incorporate compost into the soil and replenish nutrients used by previous crops before planting.

Carrots - thin out rows to ensure even root development.

Sweetcorn - remove plants once they are done, adding the stems to the compost heap.

Tomatoes - remove spent plants and place any green fruits on a windowsill to ripen in the sun (this may take a few weeks). Alternatively, make green tomato chutney or salsa.

Feed established plants monthly with liquid fertilizer.

Use Tui Quash to prevent slugs and snails from eating your leafy greens. If Quash is unavailable, set up beer traps by placing a wide jar filled with some beer in your garden—the scent will attract slugs, causing them to crawl in and drown.