SEEDS TO SOW IN MARCH

For a lot of kitchen gardeners and allotmenteers, March is the month when everything starts in terms of seed sowing. Many may have whetted their appetite a little already by getting a head start on things like aubergines and perhaps a few chillies but March is when everything gets notched up a gear!

So if you are wondering where to begin, here is a breakdown of a few things we will be sowing this month

Aubergines – if you haven’t already started your aubergines then think about sowing some during March and April. Aubergine ‘Black Beauty’ is a lovely variety with a shorter growing season making it perfect to grow in our climate.

Chillies – You can get your chilli sowings off to a good start in March – start with the hottest varieties such as the habanero’s if you are pushed for time. The Jalapeno’s and Ring of Fire Chillies can wait a little longer if you are struggling for time and space

Tomatoes – As the light levels are starting to increase rapidly and with the clock change towards the end of the month March is a good time to make a sowing of tomatoes in order to get an earlier harvest. Tomato plants do grow really fast and will quickly need potting on so don’t rush to sow these if you are struggling for room – later sowings towards the end of the month and into April will still catch up very quickly.

Brussels Sprouts – Sprouts do need a long growing season so you may want to start thinking about sowing these soon.

Leeks – if you didn’t sow them in February then sow some now in a pot and leave in a greenhouse where they will germinate just fine.

Globe Artichokes – We will definitely be sowing these indoors this month – we can’t wait to grow some of these stunning plants.

Kohl Rabi – We love this weird and wacky vegetable so will be making a sowing of these and will be looking forward to grating them into some homemade coleslaw soon!

Radishes – For a quick crop of radishes we will be making a little sowing of these under cover. They will reward us with a crop within weeks!

Broad Beans – We are only just getting to spring and the ground should be workable so make a sowing of these outside now. We usually prefer to sow ours into pots and then transplant but if your ground isn’t too wet, broad beans can absolutely be sown directly into the soil.

Salads – Lettuces and Oriental salad leaves can be sown under cover now. We like to save our lettuces a little longer to enjoy as summer salads but love the oriental salad leaves, and the flavour they provide, during these cooler months.

Peas – Peas can be sown outside now or you can sow them undercover if you prefer.

Spinach – We will make our first sowings of spinach undercover this month and then will sow successionally throughout the year.

Turnips – Turnips are incredibly easy to grow and making a sowing now could see you getting a harvest in as little as six weeks!

Carrots – Make a sowing of carrots under cloches this month and you could be getting your first harvests around June – we recommend our Nantes or Autumn King varieties for sowing this month

Beetroot – You can start to sow your beetroot under cover this month. We sow this successionally throughout the coming months and absolutely cannot wait for some fresh beetroot harvests in a few months’ time!

As you can see there are so many things you can start sowing this month and we could definitely have added more but the season is only just getting started so don’t rush it. Enjoy the process and sow little and often would be our advice. March is just the start – there are still many months of growing ahead so you don’t need to do it all now.

Happy Sowing!