The vegetable garden in March |
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Sowing in open ground |
Carrot, beetroot, Chinese spring cabbage, broad beans, leeks, spinach, turnip, watercress and summer curly chicory; |
Sowing under cover |
Summer cauliflower, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, chili peppers, squash and zucchini, spring lettuce, melon, celery, cabbages and radishes; |
Plantations |
Garlic, potato, artichoke, shallot and onion; |
Harvests |
Parsnips, Jerusalem artichokes, salads, lettuces, Brussels sprouts, headed cabbages, broccoli, Japanese crosnes, curly chicory, leeks and celery, chard; |
Aromatic plants |
Sorrel, parsley and chervil. |
What work in the vegetable garden in March?
Grind and bury the green manure
Planting trees and shrubs
Watch for the end of frost
Protect the vegetable garden from pests
Take advantage of the return of the sun to install some flowers
Our tips for dealing with March showers
Zero pesticides in the garden for an ecological spring
Water carefully and weed regularly
Grind and bury the green manure
The term “green manure” brings together several plant species capable of improving the composition and structure of soils through their planting.
This is the case, for example, for mustard, beans, buckwheat, rye, etc.
These beneficial plants provide many nutrients such as nitrogen.
If you sowed green manures in autumn, the month of March marks the time when they must be mowed, crushed and incorporated into the first centimeters of the soil.
They will then be transformed into humus by the decomposers and thus release beneficial nutrients to the vegetables grown in your vegetable garden.
Read alsoUsing phacelia as green manure: all the steps
Planting trees and shrubs
The month of March marks the time to plant fruit trees and shrubs.
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The month of March marks the time to plant fruit trees and shrubs purchased in containers.
There is :
Almond trees;
The Cherry trees ;
Peach trees;
Apricot trees;
Raspberry bushes;
Gooseberries;
The cashiers.
This is a non-exhaustive list.
Other species can also take place in your vegetable garden and orchard during this period.
For planting trees, here are some tips:
Dig a good-sized hole while retaining the topsoil, in other words that present on the surface;
Install a layer
of complete organic fertilizer
at the bottom of the hole, to be covered with a little soil;
Fill in with a mixture of good extracted soil and compost or potting soil;
Respect the distances between plantations;
Pack the earth;
Water generously.
When it comes to watering, be aware that trees will need generous watering during warm months.
A detail which ensures good root development given the relatively short installation time.
Watch for the end of frost
Although the sun is making a comeback and the days are longer, frosts continue to rage during the night.
This is why it is better to avoid removing all winter protection.
Therefore, take care to check the condition of the installations in place and adapt your plantings accordingly.
Gardeners in warm, sunny regions will be able to afford more freedom, while those in colder climates will still need to be patient.
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To help you set up a vegetable garden adapted to the season, you can choose:
Vegetable plots with frames;
Tunnels;
Bells ;
Winter sails.
Obviously, continue to aerate your crops regularly to regulate humidity and renew the air.
Protect the vegetable garden from pests
Throughout the year, the vegetable garden and the orchard are victims of pest attacks, the month of March is no exception... Indeed, during this transition period, winter ends and spring begins, the air is full of humidity and the plants are budding.
Many
fungi and parasites
like these conditions.
Among the best known you find:
Aphids;
Flies such as whiteflies (from carrots, vegetable gardens or even soil);
The ants ;
The adult mole cricket;
The tomato leafminer;
Worms (white and leek worms);
Wireworm larvae;
Snails and slugs.
With humidity, your vegetable plants and fruit varieties are more susceptible to diseases and cryptogamic attacks.
So, it is better to prevent and limit the damage in order to avoid curing or seeing species die.
Also read: 10 extremely effective natural anti-aphids!
Take advantage of the return of the sun to install some flowers
Perennial flowers are popular in the garden, they invade borders, paths, flowerbeds and planters.
However, they also find their place in the vegetable garden.
And for good reason, they attract pollinating insects and provide you with better crops.
Certain flowering plant species will have considerable powers over your plantations.
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Certain flowering plant species will have considerable powers over your plantations.
They can reduce the risk of disease, encourage roots to take root, promote development or even protect certain vegetables.
Find out and adopt them according to your needs.
Our tips for dealing with March showers
Rain continues to fall during the month of March.
So, to avoid drowning your vegetable garden or being confronted with excess humidity, you should take some precautions.
We tell you everything about it!
Install shelters
To start, you can protect sensitive species using different winter protection products.
It exists :
Bells, easy to make with plastic bottles;
Winter sails;
Greenhouses and tunnels;
The frames.
You can also make
trenches
around your plants.
The water will stagnate in it and will not drown your plants.
Monitor the weather
March turns out to be a month with mixed weather, the sun mixes with showers, the gray sky gives way to a few rainbows and the cold is still present.
This is why you must monitor the weather and adapt maintenance actions, that is to say:
Regulate watering;
Take advantage of the sun's rays to open the shelters;
Collect leaves and pull out weeds;
Check the protections regularly;
Monitor the presence of pests or the development of certain diseases.
Zero pesticides in the garden for an ecological spring
Vegetable gardening without pesticides is possible provided you adopt the right actions.
Inspired by permaculture, it offers many benefits and allows you to enjoy organic fruits and vegetables, free of chemicals.
Here's how to start your ecological vegetable garden in March!
Think about associations and focus on rotation
In the vegetable garden, it is important to use logic in order to maximize yield and minimize pest attacks.
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No use without permission.
In the vegetable garden, it is important to use logic in order to maximize yield and minimize pest attacks.
To do this, carefully plan plant associations.
For example, you can:
Combine carrots and leeks to keep flies or even ringworms away;
Reduce nematode attacks with marigolds placed near tomatoes;
Combine asparagus and cabbage to control cabbage parasites;
Bet on the installation of famous repellents such as onion, chives and garlic.
For your plantations, another good reflex to adopt is crop rotation.
This technique avoids soil exhaustion and reduces the appearance of diseases.
Attract insects and protect plants
Not all insects are dangerous, on the contrary, some are
real allies
for gardeners or apprentice market gardeners.
In fact, try to attract beneficial insects to facilitate garden maintenance and increase your harvests.
To do this, nothing could be simpler, just install insect hotels and shelters in the garden.
Also consider protecting the vegetable garden from pests using traps, inserting predators or even natural repellents.
For example, using crushed oyster or egg shells helps reduce slug attacks.
But also the installation of ladybug roosts to fight against aphids.
It is also possible to protect young plants or to sow outside of undesirable egg-laying periods.
Know that there is always a natural solution.
Water carefully and weed regularly
Watering is beneficial for your vegetable garden, but it can also be harmful.
Humidity, poorly managed, encourages the proliferation of diseases.
So :
Gauge the soil and its humidity level before adding water;
Check the weather to adapt watering to the next rains;
Avoid wetting the leaves and flowers of your plants as much as possible.
Also think about mulching which protects the plants and regulates humidity.
You also need to
weed little by little
to maintain a healthy and clean vegetable garden.
This daily discipline simplifies the maintenance of growing spaces.
Being rigorous about weeding offers the following advantages:
Reduce the appearance of rot and fungus;
Remove refuges favored by parasites;
Avoid the use of natural herbicides which can stagnate in the soil for a long time.