March in the Garden

Weather and soil conditions permitting, hardy vegetables and annual flowers such as lettuce and spinach and most salad greens, broad beans, peas, carrots and root vegetables, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower, kohlrabi, parsley, calendula, poppies and sweet peas can be sown outdoors this month. Sow indoors eggplant, sweet peppers and tomatoes, asters, lobelia, coleus, salvia, dahlia, impatiens, cosmos, petunia, and celosia. Transplant outdoors in May.

Dig the last of the Jerusalem artichokes, and replant some of the tubers in replenished soil for another crop next winter.

Clear the ground under pruned roses, fertilize, and mulch with compost or composted manure for a healthy boost to new growth.

Trim back woody herbs such as lavender, rosemary, and sage for compact new growth. Cut rue plants down close to ground level for bushy plants this year.

Plant asparagus this month. Set the crowns 10 to 15 centimetres (4 to 6 inches) beneath the soil surface in a deeply dug, humus-rich, fertile soil that drains efficiently. Mulch established plants with compost or aged manure.

After hand or power raking the lawn clean of moss and dead grass, top dress with compost or composted manure.

Weed, clean and fertilize perennial and shrub beds. A top dressing of compost over the fertilizer boosts the health and beauty of ornamental plantings.

One of the first vegetables that can be sown in the outdoor garden is collards, a cold-tolerant nutritional superstar rich in calcium, vitamin A and vitamin C. These greens are delicious stir-fried in oil with onion and walnuts and served over rice.

Try underplanting roses with garlic and chives to reduce the incidence of black spot and intensify the perfume of the rose blooms.

Consider alternatives to sphagnum moss for lining hanging baskets. Harvesting the moss for garden use damages its natural habitats. Lightweight, flexible basket liners made from wood or textile by-products are available at garden centres and from some catalogues.