What to Plant in March – Zones 5 and 6

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What can you plant in March?

As the weather starts to slowly warm up in March it is time to get serious about your garden in Zones 5 and 6. Crops that you can plant in March include the following:

Vegetables to Plant in March

Read on for more instructions and rough planting times for each of these crops!

March Planting Guide–Last frost date

This March Planting Guide is meant to give those of you in Zones 5 and 6 some ideas of what you should be planting. Like last month’s guide, this advice will apply as follows:

Zone 6 – You can start these planting instructions in early March

Zone 5 – You will begin most of this planting around the 15th through the 30th

Keep in mind that last frost dates are everything in early spring planting. To plant at the correct time you have to know when your last frost date is and then you count backward from there to get your March Planting Dates.

This March Planting Guide assumes you know your average last frost date and that you will be starting these planting suggestions roughly 60 days prior to that date.

The best way to know your average last frost date is to keep track of it yourself and to ask seasoned pros in your area what their experience has been. However, I have also found a few websites that will estimate your first and last frost dates for you based on your zip code.

The site that has been the most accurate for my garden is Morning Chores – You can access their frost date calculator here.

Greens

You can also still start just about any leafy green you would like indoors. I’m thinking here about plants like:

• Lettuce
• Spinach
• Swiss Chard
• Chinese Cabbages
• Bok Choy (Pak Choy)
• Kale
• Arugula

Starting greens indoors may seem like overkill to some because they do so well when planted outdoors. However, I have found that starting greens indoors this early in the year will get you a head start on the season.

Greens planted indoors now will be moved out to the garden in 4 to 6 weeks. If it is still really cold then they may need some protection from a fabric row cover, a hoop house, or a greenhouse. But in 4 to 6 weeks the weather will be warming quickly and these starts will do really well when moved outside.

Warm-season Seedlings for March

March is the perfect time to get your warm-season seedlings started indoors. Plant crops like:

• Tomatoes
• Peppers
• Eggplant

You should start these indoors roughly 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost. However, if you are feeling adventurous, plant them sooner and plan on setting the plants out under the protection of water-filled cloches Tomatoes do particularly well when planted in those cloches so consider getting a few going early this year.

March is too soon to plant seedlings for any squash family plants. Plants like cucumbers, pumpkins, and zucchini don’t transplant well. You should wait until only about 3 weeks before your last frost date to get these started because smaller seedlings with only 2 true leaves transplant much more successfully.

What can I plant outside in March?

March is the time to start thinking about planting outdoors in the garden. As soon as the soil is dry enough to work you can get some of the following seeds directly sown outdoors in the soil. Make sure you amend your soil with some compost before planting and I would recommend warming your soil first. To learn more about this trick read this post.

• Peas
• Onions
• Leeks
• Beets
• Radish
• Turnips
• Carrots
• Lettuce
• Spinach
• Swish Chard
• Kale
• Bok Choy
• Potatoes
• Arugula

Green Peas

Peas are very hardy plants, especially when they are smaller. I try to get my green peas or sugar peas planted at least 8 weeks before my last frost date. For us, that means mid-March. I get the soil warmed up for a week or two first and plant as soon as I can work the soil!

Onions and Leeks

Many people don’t realize how hardy onions, leeks, and shallots are! For instance, you can plant onions by seedling or by sets as early as 6 weeks before your last frost. We plant our onions in late March. Mine usually go in the last week of March.

Planting them this early gives them plenty of cool weather to get a big head start on the growing season. It is fun to watch their new growth as the season progresses!

Root crops

You can direct sow seeds for plants like beets, turnips, radishes, and carrots as early as 8 weeks before your first frost. Warming the soil first helps.

Carrot seeds take a while to germinate so be patient with them. (Using burlap can help carrot seeds germinate faster). Once they have germinated a little protection from frost on really cold nights will help them thrive. Try using some fabric row cover for protection.

 Leafy greens

Once your soil is dry enough to work you can start sowing your first succession plantings on all your leafy greens. lettuce, spinach, chard, and more. Again warming the soil first and then protecting it with a light row fabric will help these early plantings to flourish.

Potatoes

If you have the protection of a cold frame or a hoop house you can also get an extra early summer harvest of potatoes. I try to get my first seed potatoes from our local nursery and we are able to plant 8 weeks before the last frost but please note that you must protect the plants from frost! Learn more about this process by reading this post.