In most places, March is the first month that we can start planting early seeds outdoors.

Whether you’re a seasoned grower or trying it for the first time, there are several excellent vegetables that grow happily in these cool-weather conditions.

Direct sowing

Vegetables, like flowers, have different needs based on their variety.

They may be annual or perennial, cold hardy (they can survive frost) or tender (they cannot survive frost).

Some thrive when sowed directly in the soil, others require an indoor start.

The vegetables we’ll cover in this newsletter prefer direct sowing, meaning they can be removed from their seed packet and planted right into the soil (ground or pot) without any indoor preparation required.

Five vegetables to sow in March

• Radishes: The earliest vegetables in the early-spring garden. Plant in the soil as close as 1” apart. Cover with soil, water, and leave them to it! Radishes are very low maintenance, so give them a try if you’re looking for a confidence-boost (they also perform great in pots!). I recommend the variety French Breakfast.

• Carrots: Carrots are best sown in the ground, as opposed to a pot, because they need a bit of depth to grow to their full capacity. Plant in the soil in March, and harvest in about 75 days. Try the Bolero variety for an easy and reliable crop come April.

• Spinach: At almost any time of the year, leafy greens can thrive in the garden. Spinach, in particular, loves cold weather. The seeds can be planted as early as mid-March and harvested in just 25 days! Unlike root vegetables, spinach is a “cut and come again” crop, so you can enjoy multiple salads from one plant.

• Sugar snap peas: An excellent veggie for cooking and raw snacking. Peas grow as vines and will need some sort of support (a trellis, staking, etc.) They can also be grown in a hanging basket! Check out Sugar Ann, one of the earliest snap pea varieties.

• Onions: Onion seeds can be sown at the end of March/early April. Green onions will be ready to harvest in about 65 days. More “standard” onions take quite awhile to grow—expect an early-summer harvest. With these types of onions, note that there are three types: (1) “long day” (2) “short day” and (3) “day neutral.” Each refers to the amount of daily light needed for the onion to reach its full harvest potential.

🛍️ Product I’m loving

The Garden Art Marker from Artline. If you’ve ever labeled a plant and left the label outside for a while, you know the despair that comes from a completely faded, illegible tag! These markers are waterproof, fade proof, and able to withstand the unpredictable forces of Mother Nature.

🌸 Flower I’m admiring

Daffodils, at last. They are just starting to reveal their jolly blooms, peppering landscapes with clusters of whites and yellows. I have a number of them planted in my own garden that are still in bud stage—I can’t wait to greet them! This year I’m most excited about the Delnashaugh variety lining our driveway en masse.

👩🏻‍🌾 Seeds I’m sowing

I’m so excited about the many varieties of pansies and violas I’m sowing this year. These flowers are sometimes considered “old fashioned” in the gardening world, but I can’t get enough. They have lovely, tiny faces that seem to chirp “oh, hello there!” I do think these are among the most friendly flowers in the garden.

Are you planting any vegetables this year? Trying any from seed? Let me know what vegetables you’re most excited or curious about!

xx

Courtney