Grow your own: March

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