March Gardening Tasks

Sunnier days are just around the corner and for many of us the weather has certainly been improving of late. I’ve been out and about in the garden, and indoors I’ve found some excellent tips online for the best ways to apply your green thumbs this month. There is the Times online year round gardening guide and then the Royal Horticultural Society’s website, both offering timely ideas to make the most of your outdoor space. This month, the Times also won me over with a whole article devoted to the many reasons why vegetable beds are such a ‘must have’ for the modern gardener.

I have a bulb and seed box, so that I can leave everything in the outhouse but know that it won’t be ravaged by mice and insects come springtime. It’s definitely going to be coming out with me this weekend, when I’m planning to plant hardy annuals in a raised patio planter. You don’t even needs a garden for this - planters are also fantastic for balconies, roof terraces or even in your porch.

I’ll be doing a fair bit of potting and I do recommend a small investment in a potting bench. You will appreciate not having to crouch awkwardly onto the ground, or ending up with soil and newspaper all over the dining room table. My spring shoots are going to go under garden cloches and a Victorian glass bell jar to protect them from the same hungry mouths and the elements. Finally, I’ll be mowing the grass and pruning, then transforming all the cuttings into rich organic compost.

Photo Credit: Parsley by Jean Froidevaux.