March Garden Chores & Tasks

A list of March garden chores to accomplish for the month, including both vegetable gardens and flower beds, as well as lawns and general tasks. Choose only what matters for your garden!

March is probably one of the most exciting months of the gardening season for us in the north where the last frost dates are usually between April and May.

We start to see signs of new life as everything starts waking up, there are usually some sunny days where we can work outside, and the dreams of a perfect garden are still fresh and within the realm of possibility.

Hey – that’s what gardening dreams are all about aren’t they? Every year could be THE year. (Said every gardener everywhere at the beginning of spring…)

Whether we’re aiming for perfection or just getting by, the chores for March revolve around three main things:

1. Catching weeds while they’re little.
2. Starting seeds and planting outside.
3. Finishing any garden clean-up.

My tips for this month that can be busy? Prioritize, start small, and take it slow – it’s only the beginning.

Want all my best vegetable gardening tips and techniques to keep it simple and manageable? (Yes, it CAN be done!) Then grab my ebook, Vegetable Gardening The Easy Way, and you’ll be on your way to growing your own food without all the backbreaking work.

Garden Chores for March

Vegetable & Fruit Garden:

• Plant small lettuce & spinach seedlings, as well as direct sow (the seedlings will be ready a couple weeks before the seeds sown at the same time, providing a staggered planting).
• Plant kale and chard either direct sown seeds or transplanted seedlings.
• Plant onion seedlings or sets.
• Plant peas and potatoes around the 17th (or earlier if the ground and weather allows).
• Fertilize berries with compost or organic fertilizer.
• Plant first rows of carrots and beets.
• Make sure asparagus beds are cleaned – cut brown foliage back (if you haven’t yet) and cover with layer of compost to prepare for the April harvest starting.

Flower Beds:

• Do any garden clean-up needed: cutting dead growth, pruning, etc.
• Get aggressive with weeding before the weeds become established.
• Start applying newspaper and mulch to beds as they are weeded.
• Continue working on pruning and dividing perennials as needed.
• Plant dahlia and gladiola bulbs.
• Fertilize evergreen shrubs (rhododendrons, azaleas, boxwood, etc.).

Seed Starting Inside:

Here are all the seeds you can continue to start inside:

• Tomatoes (especially if your frost date is later).
• Peppers, though they will be smaller now.
• Brassicas – cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. (second set or first if none started in February).
• Chard and Kale
• Basil
• Annual Flowers

TIP: You can find all my seed-starting tips and tricks in this series-

1. Vegetable Garden 101: How to Start Plants from Seeds
2. Vegetable Garden 101: Caring For Seedlings at Week 1
3. Vegetable Garden 101: Caring for Seedlings at Week 6

Note: This March garden chores list is not comprehensive by any means, but meant to provide a jumping-off point to organizing your garden chores. Feel free to print the list and add any of your own specific chores to the sections.

You can see all the month-by-month garden chores lists here.

Need more easy gardening tips?

• Organic Vegetable Gardening 101
• How to Plant a Garden the Easy Care Way
• 5 Steps to Take Now For Your Best Garden Ever (with Free Printables!)