What Do You Plant in March?

March is one of the trickiest months to plant for gardeners. The days might be getting longer, but that doesn't mean winter is over for all of us. It could already be too late for some crops in your area but too early for others. But if you get the planting right this month, you're setting yourself up for an incredible growing season. 

Whether you've got lingering cold weather or you're enjoying an early taste of warmth, there's something you can plant this month. I've grouped these planting possibilities into 3 separate climates. You're in a warm climate if your last frost date has already passed or will pass in the next 15 days or so. You're in a mild climate if your frost date is roughly 15 to 45 days away. And you're in a cold climate if your frost date is more than 45 days from now. (Click here to find your last frost date in the US.)

Scroll down to find your climate to learn everything you can plant this month!

What Can You Plant in Warmer Areas in March?

If you're in a warm climate, then your last frost date has either already passed or will pass by the middle of the month (that's if you even have frost in your area). That means you're currently in or will very soon enter your warm growing season. The warm season is when the average high temperature is between 65°F (18.3°C) and 84°F (29.4°C). This season will carry you through spring, before transitioning into a hot season, when the average high is 85°F (29.4°C) or above, for the summer.

Maybe you already have tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers growing. Even so, keep on planting. There are many things you can add this month to fill in the blanks of your garden.

My top 5 plants to start this month in a warmer climate:

• Arugula
• Beans
• Cucumbers
• Nasturtiums
• Pumpkins

Now let's dive into the best leaves, roots, fruit, and flowers you can plant in March, as soon as there's no threat of frost in your area.

Herbs

There are so many fun basil types you can plant this month. You can start your basil seeds indoors, buy some plants from your local nursery, or direct sow seeds as soon as you've passed your last frost date.

This month is also the ideal time to plant any of the perennial herbs in your garden (lavender, oregano, sage, thyme, mint, lemon balm, and rosemary). Consider planting these as plants instead of seeds so that you can start taking harvests ASAP. These herbs will be super productive for the next couple of months.

Leafy Greens

Instead of cool-weather plants like lettuce and spinach, you'll do best to plant more heat-tolerant greens until coolish weather returns in the fall. Don't worry—you can still grow arugula, mizuna, and mustard greens.

These are the perfect filler plants to grow underneath your tomatoes, peppers, and other large towering plants. These plants can withstand hotter temperatures when grown in the shade, so you can still have just-cut salads, even when it's hot outside.

Roots

You can plant potatoes (tubers) and sweet potatoes (tuberous roots) this month. Order seed potatoes online or buy organic potatoes from your farmers' market, and chit them (let the eyes grow) so they're ready to plant as soon as possible. For sweet potatoes, you'll buy an organic sweet potato from the grocery store or farmers' market and start slips so that you can move these slips out to the garden in about 6 weeks.

Fruit

You can plant all of the quintessential fruiting annuals as soon as you're past your last frost date.

If you've got room on your trellises or support structures, plant some cucumber seeds. Cucumbers only need about 60 days to get to harvest. You can also direct sow squash and zucchini, but I recommend growing these plants either on the edge of your bed (so you can train their growth over the side) or outside of your raised beds (so you can let them sprawl).

Beans—the magical fruit—are a great plant to fill up any empty spaces you have in your garden during the warm season. Plant pole beans if you have trellis space, and sow bush beans in bare spots around your larger fruiting plants. You'll get to harvest in just about 60 days. Beans are wonderful for your garden soil health and a great source of protein from your garden.

You can also do large gourds and pumpkins this month. These need to be planted as plants or seeds STAT! Like squash and zucchini, plant these on the edges of your beds or in places where there's a lot of open soil. Better yet, utilize trellis space for small pumpkins. These plants will spend all summer growing and be ready for harvest around August or September. 

This month is also time to transplant tomato, eggplant, and pepper seedlings to your garden. (I recommend buying plant starts from your local nursery if you haven't already started these indoors. That way, you can maximize their time growing outside in warm weather, before it gets too hot for them to produce.)

Keep in mind, you want to get all these fruiting plants established in your garden at least a month before the temps rise above 90°F—that's how you ensure you'll have a packed, productive garden during your hot summer months.

Flowers

If you haven't planted any nasturtiums yet, now's a great time. These are some of the best flowers to add to your warm season garden. Nasturtiums love to trail over the edges of your beds or climb a trellis. The seeds benefit from being scarified before you direct sow them in your garden.

Other great flowers to plant this month include zinnias, cosmos, and marigolds. These flowers will feed our pollinators and push through the heat of summer.

Sow flower seeds today, and you'll have a garden overflowing with blooms in about two months.

What Can You Plant in Cool Areas in March?

If you're in a mild climate, like mine here in Nashville, Tennessee, you are going to love March. Your last frost date may not be until next month, but there's so much happening this month. You'll experience a cool growing season for the spring months. The cool season occurs when your average high temperature is between 31°F (-0.6°C) and 64°F (17.8°C) and there's a likely chance of frost.

Hopefully, your garden is already packed with frost-tolerant greens and root crops. Inside, you've got tomato and pepper seedlings growing. This month, we'll focus on sowing seeds for leafy greens and root crops so that your garden becomes even fuller and more beautiful. There's also one thing you can start indoors to make your summer garden even more impressive.

My top 5 plants to start this month in a mild climate:

• Beets
• Lettuce
• Radishes
• Spinach
• Zinnias (indoors)

Now let's dive into the best leaves, roots, fruit, and flowers you can plant in March.

Herbs

The best herbs to direct sow this month are cilantro, parsley, and dill. These herbs in the carrot family are frost tolerant, so you can go ahead and plant them as soon as your soil is workable.

You can also start basil by seed indoors so you'll have plants ready to move out once you pass your last frost date.

It's a little late to start perennial herbs (chives, oregano, sage, thyme, mint, lemon balm, rosemary, and lavender) by seed indoors. Wait until your last frost date has passed, and then buy these herbs from your local nursery. That way, you can begin harvesting from them in the spring.

Leafy Greens

This month is your prime month to plant spinach and other leafy greens. Sow spinach seeds in any blank spots of your garden beds so you can harvest as many greens as possible this season. Spinach stores really well in the freezer, unlike most of the other greens, which wilt or turn bad if you don't eat them right away. So use half your spinach leaves fresh and then freeze the other half to have on hand for smoothies and cooked dishes during the warmer months. Another idea is to turn your spinach leaves into a green powder for summer smoothies. That's how you plan this month for a year-round spinach supply.

Lettuce is another small leafy green you can direct sow to cover any bare soil in your beds. Bibb lettuce, butterhead, romaine, spring mix, red lettuce—plant lots of different types! You want to maximize your lettuce harvest over the next couple of months, before the temps climb into the 80s and your leaves turn bitter.

You can also plant out bok choy, kale, cabbage, and Swiss chard plant starts this month.

Roots

Begin direct sowing seeds for frost-tolerant roots like beets, radishes, and carrots as soon as your soil is workable. Radishes can be ready to harvest in 30 to 45 days, so you can get several harvests in before your weather warms. Beets take about 75 to 90 days, while carrots can take up to 90 to get a harvest. Get these veggies established in the garden before the temps climb.

I like to stick seeds for these root crops in between my cabbage and broccoli plants. Just make sure you're pulling off those lower leaves of your larger plants so that there's plenty of sunshine on your root crops.

Fruit

If you want to start your own large fruiting plants indoors, bust out your supplies and get them started ASAP. These plants ideally need 6 to 8 weeks to get started indoors. Subtract about 45 days from your last frost date, and that's when you should be starting peppers, tomatoes, and large gourds like pumpkins and butternut squash. Move these plants out as seedlings as soon as you pass your last frost date. Otherwise, head to your local nursery and buy plant starts.

March is also a great time to direct sow seeds for sugar snap peas, snow peas, and fava beens. Plant climbing varieties near a strong trellis.

Flowers

If you dream about growing a cut flower garden this year, then this is a great month to start some flower seeds indoors, particularly zinnias. Zinnias are the easiest cut flower to grow from seed. I like to dedicate an entire seed flat to zinnias so that I have tons of seedlings ready to move outdoors in about 4 to 6 weeks, as soon as the weather is right.

Other flowers you can start indoors include marigolds, strawflowers, and coreopsis.

You can also direct sow flowers like calendula and chamomile, which prefer cooler weather.

What Can You Plant in Cold Areas in March?

For all my friends who live in cold climates, I'm happy to report there are tons of seeds you can start this month to prepare for your spring garden, even if there's still snow outside. Yes, it will eventually get warmer. Take hope!

Back when I lived in Chicago, I started tons of seeds in March so that I could have an overflowing garden in April and May. My neighbors were all so jealous because they were waiting till May to start.

Note: You'll still be in your cold season during this month if your average high temp stays below 30°F (-1°C). You can look forward to entering your cool season very soon. Something to remember: Raised beds allow those of you still getting snow and frost to be able to work the soil in your beds much sooner than those with in-ground gardens.

My top 5 plants to start this month in a cold climate:

• Peppers (indoors)
• Spinach
• Sugar snap peas
• Tomatoes (indoors)
• Zucchini (indoors)

Now let's dive into the best leaves, roots, and fruiting plants you can plant in March.

Herbs

Start your herbs indoors this month so that you'll have plants to put outside as spring warms up. You can start frost-tolerant herbs like cilantro, dill, and parsley, which can be moved out as soon as you soil is workable.

This month is also a great time to start perennial herbs, which are slow to get up and growing. Grab seeds for all your favs: chives, oregano, sage, thyme, mint, rosemary, etc.

Leafy Greens

Spinach is one of the very first things I plant in a cold-climate garden. Seeds can go into the soil as soon as the top couple inches are workable. Even if you get more snow on that soil, as soon as it melts and the ice thaws, those spinach seeds will germinate and start to grow. Spinach is a slow seed to get started, but once it takes off, it's the perfect green for even the coldest climates.

You can also start seeds for cabbage, kale, and Swiss chard indoors so that you can plant out starts next month.

Roots

For those of you who have cold frames, install them now to warm up the top layer of soil. That way, you can direct sow carrots and beets this month.

You can also start onions by seed indoors.

Fruit

Sugar snap peas, snow peas, and fava beens can be planted this month as soon as your soil is workable. Sow seeds right underneath a strong trellis. These plants can handle a little bit of frost and cold. As soon as the soil warms up to the 50s, your peas will take off because they've already had time to settle their roots. You'll be harvesting so many pods throughout the spring.

At the end of March (or about 45 days before your final frost date), it's time to start your seeds for large warm season plants indoors. That includes peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant. That way, you'll be ready to transplant your seedlings in May or June.

My first priority is all the different tomato and pepper varieties I want to grow, which can be hard to find at my local nursery. Growing your own from seed will definitely pay off if you plan to grow at least 4 or 5 of each plant. When starting these plants indoors, you may want to use a heat mat if your house is kept on the cooler side to trick these plants into believing it's time for them to grow.

Toward the end of March, you could start squash and zucchini indoors. These plants are a lot quicker to grow from seed than tomatoes and peppers, so you'll have large plants ready to go outside by the end of May. You could potentially be harvesting by the middle of June.

Lastly, let's talk about broccoli and cauliflower, which I often lump in with fruiting plants because of their large size and long time to harvest. You can put these into your garden as plants about 45 days before your last frost date. You'll harvest full heads in late spring or early summer, before the weather warms up too much. If you didn't start these indoors, it's best to buy plants from your nursery (unless you still have a good 90 days before your last frost).

I hope seeing all these planting possibilities helps you make it through this last push of cold weather!

March Planting Tips

The key to maximizing harvests from your garden in spring is succession planting, or doing second and third plantings of leafy greens and root crops. Basically, if you plant something today, go back 2 weeks from now and plant it again.

Succession planting means you don't get one huge harvest all at once. Let's face it: who really has the time or space to enjoy 40 cabbage heads or 200 carrots? I know I don't!

So hold back on planting some of your seeds now. Leave some empty rows down your garden beds so that you can come back in about 2 or 3 weeks and plant the rest. You'll end up with an extended harvest (and less waste from your garden).

No matter what you plant, give your seeds a really good watering in and keep them moist in the first 7 to 10 days after sowing to prevent them from drying out.

What Are the Best Flowers to Plant in March?

Zinnia seeds, calendula seeds, strawflower seeds, and marigold seeds can be planted outdoors once your final threat of frost has passed, or you can start them inside now. Wait a few weeks after your last predicted frost to plant your nasturtium seeds.

If you're going to enjoy cool/cold weather for a while longer, you can buy frost-tolerant pansies, pink dianthus, and violas from the nursery and use them to add some bright color to your raised beds before it's time to add the rest of your spring flowers.

Keep on Planting in March!

And there you have it. This is the month for all of us to get out there and plant some seeds. March officially kicks off what feels like the true season of gardening, and you cannot miss a day in the garden this month.

So gather your seeds, grab a shovel, and start growing. We're so excited to share this year in the garden with you!

PS: If you're still a little confused about what to plant this month, find a Garden Consultant near you in our Directory. Follow them on social media or sign up for their newsletter for an easy way to know what's possible to grow in your area each month.

Here's to maximizing your growing time this March in preparation for a wonderful spring!