March, When It Properly Begins

March is when it properly begins. The soil’s warming, the light’s coming back, and the to-do list gets long fast — pace yourself.

Sow now (indoors)

Tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, celeriac, and courgettes if you haven’t already. Basil and other tender herbs on a warm windowsill.

Sow now (outdoors)

Parsnips, carrots, beetroot, radishes, spring onions, peas, and broad beans can all go direct once the soil’s workable and not waterlogged. Hardy annual flower seeds too — cornflowers, calendula, nigella.

Plant out

First early potatoes toward the end of the month, once the frost risk has eased in your area. Onion and shallot sets. Summer-flowering bulbs like gladioli in milder spots.

Harvest

The last of the purple sprouting broccoli. Early rhubarb, if you’ve been forcing it.

Prune

Roses, hard, before they break into leaf. Overwintered fuchsias. Cut back any remaining ornamental grasses before new growth starts.

General jobs

Start feeding the lawn once it’s actively growing. If you’ve got an alpine bed or trough, top-dress it with fresh grit to keep the plants’ necks dry and suppress weeds. Mulch beds while the soil’s still moist from winter. Watch the forecast — a warm week can tempt you into planting too early, and a late frost will undo it.

This weekend

If the soil crumbles rather than clumps when squeezed, get your first direct sowings in — carrots, beetroot, and peas are the forgiving ones to start with.

Timing shifts by region — the North, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are typically 2–3 weeks behind the South.