March Garden Chores

MARCH GARDEN CHORES

Enlarge the Garden

But, seriously.

I am in zone 6b so I still have a few months until the serious planting action happens. But I do a no-till garden, so it’s time to get the ground ready for summer planting.

This year, I’m eyeing up a fresh patch of lawn to transform into prime garden real estate. Plus, I’ve got my sights set on carving out space for a couple of flower beds.

Instead of busting out the tiller, I like to use a more natural style of growing: No-till gardening. I was skeptical when I first heard about it but the results convinced me. Tilling is out, mulching is in.

How To

Get your husband to do it.

But, seriously. Here’s the scoop: we’re talking super chill method here. Just cover up the grass (or weeds) and kick back for a few weeks. Come June, when I’m itching to get my plants in, voila! That patch is pure dirt, ready for action.

First, I gather my gear. My go-to? Garden plastic—it’s the bomb. But hey, cardboard’s a solid option too, and it won’t cost you a dime. I’m all about recycling, so those Amazon and pizza boxes? If they’re plain, they’re fair game (after stripping off all the tape and labels, of course). Oh, and don’t forget about piling on a hefty layer of grass clippings or a thick blanket of straw—total game-changers. And grass is free.

Once I’ve laid down my chosen material, it’s time for the waiting game. Six to eight weeks of chillaxing, and then it’s planting time. Easy-peasy, right?

For flower beds, you aren’t planting seeds in rows so you don’t have to wait for the grass to die. Simply lay down your ground cover of choice (we are using plastic for this little flower bed), put down your mulch, and then dig a hole wherever you want your flowers to go.

Time to Start Spring Seeds

This is my favorite link for keeping track of when to start my seeds:

https://www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-calendar

What to Start Indoors and What to Direct Sow

I have lots of food from last year so I’m not in a rush to start most vegetables. I have plenty of space and plenty of time for them to grow so, wherever possible, many of my vegetables will be sown directly into the ground.

Tomatoes

Last year, I bought tomatoes from some of my Amish neighbors but, I was not happy with the results. Normally, my plants become massive monsters but the plants I purchased were stunted and hardly produced anything at all. So this year, I will be returning to my two favorite tomato plants: Big Beef and Supersweet 100. I’m also going to try Sun Gold cherry tomatoes because I loved the taste.

Poblano Peppers

I love green chiles, especially poblano peppers, so I’m starting these from seed because they’re hard to find. I like to preserve green chiles for Mexican cuisine, especially poblanos which I use to make my favorite rice dish – so they’re worth the time and effort to start from seed.