As the weather gets warmer, now is a great time to get started on your vegetable patch outdoors
If you're planning to grow vegetables this year, March is the month to get going. The soil starts warming up and the hours of daylight start increasing, providing crops with the ideal conditions to grow and come into their own before the summer heat.
Early spring is the ideal time to start populating your vegetable patch, particularly with varieties that require a long growing season. Before sowing directly into the ground, however, you need to check the conditions.
'Make sure the soil is workable and not frozen or waterlogged. Daytime temperatures should consistently be between 5 to 10 degrees celsius,' advises Morris Hankinson, managing director of online garden retailer Hopes Grove Nurseries.
When planting outside, it's also wise to protect young plants from cold snaps, which is common during this time of year. Simply use a cloche or fleece to keep your crops nice and cosy.
Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew – potatoes are the ultimate kitchen staple, and now is a great time to plant them. Begin by choosing a generous spot in your vegetable patch or or, better yet, use a large container or pot that's approximately 40cm wide and deep.
Julian Palphramand, head of plants at British Garden Centres, recommends filling the bottom of the pot with 10 cm of multipurpose compost. Then, place up to five sprouting seed potatoes in the pot and cover with another 10 cm of soil.
'When green shoots begin to show, cover with another 10 cm of compost and continue to do this until you have reached the top of your container,' he adds. 'Your potatoes are ready to harvest when the plant is in flower.'
March offers the ideal conditions for peas to grow, as the cooler temperatures reduce mildew risk, explains Morris. Sow them 3-5 cm deep and place pea sticks or netting into the soil. The sticks will provide a natural, unobtrusive support for the plants to grow, while netting keeps birds at bay.
'Soil should be moist but not overwatered and watering is more essential as they flower. After about 10 to 12 weeks the peas in their pods will be ready to harvest,' he adds.
Planting onions in March gives them enough time to develop large bulbs. Plant onion sets or sow seeds directly into the ground, spacing them about 10 cm apart. Keep the area well weeded to prevent competition for nutrients. 'Harvesting takes up to four months but it's worth the wait,' says Morris.
'Most lettuce varieties you find in the supermarket, such as cos, lollo rosso, butterhead, iceberg and rocket, are very easy to grow and germinate very quickly,' says Julian.
Sow the seeds thinly about 1 cm deep in moist compost and harvest baby leaves in as little as three weeks. Full lettuce heads will develop in six to eight weeks. Use a cloche to protect the plant from the cold.
Chard is a great vegetable to sow in March, as this hardy crop is undeterred by cool spring mornings and evenings. Choose a sunny spot and sow the seeds thinly in rows spaced about 40 cm apart. Cover lightly with soil and water well.
'The fully grown leaves should be ready for harvesting 10 to 12 weeks after planting,' says Richard Barker, horticultural expert and commercial director of LBS Horticulture. 'Individual leaves can be cut as needed, and the plant will continue to produce new growth.'
Carrots are another vegetable you can sow outside now – and there's a good reason to do so. 'Early sowing avoids carrot root flies later in the season, which is extremely beneficial if that’s known to be a problem,' says Morris.
Sow them in well-drained soil, about 1cm deep. As the seedlings grow, thin out to about 5cm between each plant. You can harvest crunchy carrots within 10 to 14 weeks depending on the variety.
'Broad beans are easy to grow from seed, and sowing in March will mean that you have a harvest by summer,' Richard says. They can be sown outdoors, although he recommends starting seeds indoors if your garden has waterlogged or clay soil.
When sowing directly into the ground, space the seeds about 20cm apart in rows 60cm apart, and cover with netting to protect them from birds or squirrels. Seedlings should appear within a few weeks. Once flowers emerge, start watering regularly. Pinch out the growing tips, and stake taller varieties if needed to prevent plants from collapsing, says Richard.
'Beans can be harvested when their pods are 6cm long if you intend to eat them in the pods, but if eating the beans shelled you should wait until the pods appear to be bulging with beans,' he adds.
Sowing beetroot in March rewards you with an early crop. 'If planting in March, use a variety that is resistant to bolting or less likely to bolt, such as Bolthardy, Kestrel or Red Ace and sow under horticultural fleece or cloches,' Richard advises.
Spacing depends on how big you want your beetroot to grow. For larger crops, thin the plants to about 10cm apart; for smaller beets, leave seedlings closer together. Beetroot needs regular watering and is usually ready to harvest in eight to 10 weeks.
'To harvest the root, firmly grasp the foliage where it meets the top of the root and pull. It is better to harvest beetroot early than late, as younger roots will be more tender,' the expert adds.
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