Grow your own: March

What to sow, plant and pick in a Mitchel Troy garden or allotment in March. Mitchel Troy sits in a frost-prone valley, so tender crops go out at the end of May, not the start.

Jobs for March

Plant early potatoes and onion sets as the soil warms.
Start tomatoes indoors.
Slug watch begins — check young plants after rain.

Sow indoors

On a windowsill, in a greenhouse or under cover

Tomatoesfrost-tender
Greenhouse plants can go in from late April; outdoor ones only once frosts are over.
Chillies & peppersfrost-tender
They need a long, warm season — start early on a sunny windowsill.
Cucumbersfrost-tender
Sow seeds on their edge to stop them rotting.
Leeks
Drop seedlings into deep dibber holes and fill with water, not soil.
Lettuce
Sow a short row every fortnight; it bolts in hot, dry spells.
Basilfrost-tender
Hates cold and wet — a sunny windowsill is often best.
Parsley
Slow to germinate; soaking the seed overnight helps.

Sow outside

Straight into the ground

Broad beans
Autumn sowings crop earliest; pinch out the tips when pods form to deter blackfly.
Peas
Give them twiggy sticks or netting to climb.
Carrots
Sow thinly to avoid thinning, which attracts carrot fly.
Parsnips
Always use fresh seed; they taste sweeter after a frost.
Radishes
Ready in about a month — perfect for children to grow.
Salad leaves & rocket
Cut-and-come-again: snip leaves and they regrow.
Spinach
Prefers cool weather — spring and late-summer sowings do best.
Kale
Pick the lower leaves and it keeps going all winter.
Brussels sprouts
Firm the soil well around them so they don't rock in winter winds.

Plant out

Seedlings, sets and young plants

Potatoes
Chit seed potatoes in February; earth up as shoots appear and cover if frost threatens.
Onions (sets)
Lift when the leaves flop over, and dry before storing.
Strawberries
Tuck straw under the fruit to keep it clean and away from slugs.
Rhubarb
Don't pull any in its first year, and stop picking in July.

Ready to harvest

Leeks
Kale
Purple sprouting broccoli