by Texas Homesteader ~
It’s only March, but there’s much to do now in your March garden to help assure a productive vegetable garden. Spring is almost here, y’all! The March garden needs your attention!
It’s time to prepare your garden for planting.
Table of Contents
(Note: Some links in this post will take you to other related articles for further information. But links preceded with * are affiliate links. If you click and buy something I could receive a tiny commission.)
Early Gardening Preparations
Last month you probably began making some preliminary garden preparations:
(click on any link below for more information. Plus a complete garden list is included at the bottom of this post!)
Plan Your Garden
Remember that your March garden is a canvas—experiment with different crops and layouts for the best results!
If you haven’t already done so you’ll want to plan Plan Your Garden based on what you’d like to grow this year.
I like to use an Excel spreadsheet but there are many *Garden Planners available.
Start Seeds Inside
Utilize companion planting strategies in your March garden to promote healthy growth and deter pests.
Now’s a good time to Start Some Seeds Inside (although some seeds might be direct sown) There are two methods I use to start my seeds inside:
In your March garden, it’s important to assess the condition of your soil and make any necessary amendments.
‘Indoor Greenhouse‘ – A clear tote that holds my homemade Cardboard Tube Seed Pots growing seedlings.
Milk Jug Greenhouse – I use milk jugs to plant seeds too. These make hardening off the seedlings easier.
Here in Zone 8 our typical last frost is around March 20th. So my sweet little seedlings will be going into the garden soon.
As you dive into your March garden, consider the unique opportunities this month brings for planting and preparation.
NOTE: Many planting zones changed in 2023. Check the Updated Planting Zone Here.
Your March garden should also reflect your goals for the growing season ahead, so plan wisely.
Consider the essential chores for your March garden to maximize growth and yield.
For those with a March garden, monitoring the local weather forecast can help guide your planting decisions.
Your March garden can benefit from mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds as the weather warms up.
But now it’s time to actually get in the garden and prepare it for planting. Here in zone 8 we’ll be planting the garden around Easter. So now is the perfect time in our zone to get the garden ready!
Tips for Your March Garden
Remove Cover Crops From Planting Areas
Did you plant cover crops last fall? Here in NE Texas March is a good time to remove cover crops to prepare for planting. Some gardeners ‘chop-n-drop’ their cover crops, meaning they cut the plants and lay them down on the soil, leaving the roots intact.
But I typically dig up late-winter plants as I’ve found they just grow back if I don’t. And much of the greenery in my planting rows this year is henbit anyway!
Our youngest daughter used to call them ‘bunny flowers’ because that’s what they looked like to her!
Next year I’ll probably focus on broadcasting only *Crimson Clover Seed for my cover crop. Legumes such as clover help to affix nitrogen in the soil.
Plus clover is beautiful and it’s a cool-season plant too. That means it shouldn’t interfere with garden plants during spring & summer garden-growing season anyway.
Should You Till Your Garden To Remove Weeds?
I don’t like to use a tiller since tilling disrupts the important business going on beneath the soil.
I simply choose a day when the soil’s damp, pull the plants out of the ground and shake the soil off the roots. This *Forked Garden Knife makes light work of that task.
Then I lay the plants I’ve removed atop the planting rows to continue drying out. I’ll use the dried plants as my first protective ‘mulch’ after planting my garden.
Problem With Wood Board Raised-Bed Design
Several years ago we built raised beds in our garden using wide wooden boards. But in our area Bermuda grass is the bane of all gardeners. And it caused me untold amounts of back-breaking grief.
Plan for crop rotations in your March garden to maintain soil health and maximize output year after year.
It would aggressively grow right into the garden, under the wood frames of the beds and into our planting areas where we’d fight (and LOSE) the Bermuda grass battle Every. Stinkin’ Year.
Those wood-framed raised beds in my garden created an ongoing problem with Bermuda grass. So that type of raised beds just won’t work for me.
Consider planting early varieties in your March garden to get a head start on the growing season.
We ripped up the frames & started planting all in-ground rows instead. At least that way we could keep the Bermuda grass under control.
In your March garden, don’t forget about pest management; early intervention is key to a healthy garden.
These days most of my garden is planted in raised beds instead of rows. I’m not getting any younger ya know!
But I still have some in-ground planting areas as well for taller plants such as tomatoes, squash, corn, etc.
Raised beds offer more comfort in gardening with less bending over or crouching on the ground. So we’re using fewer rows & more raised beds in the garden.
🌱 Save 5% on premium raised garden beds with coupon code TXH5OFF.
You can click the photo below to see these amazing beds (and get a discount to boot!)
Your March garden is a wonderful opportunity to experiment with new techniques and plants.
So now my garden’s ready for spring. There will for sure be lots to report next month when it’s planted and growing!
~TxH~
This post categorized in 
My Favorite Garden Hacks
Raised Bed Shopping
- *Where To Find A Higher-Quality Durable Raised Bed!
Garden Planning
Seed Planting
- Planting Seeds In A Milk Jug Mini-Greenhouse
- Using A Clear Tote As An Indoor Greenhouse
- Repurposed Cardboard Seed-Starting Pots
Soil Health
Garden Styles
- How & Why To Use Raised Beds In Your Garden
- Planning & Planting A Fall Garden To Extend The Harvest
- Where I Found The BEST Raised Bed!
- Planting A Blueberry Bush In a Small Rustic Tub
- Creating A Vibrant Pollinator Garden
Garden Plants/Harvest
Your March garden may require additional watering as temperatures rise—stay vigilant!
As you prepare your March garden, consider including a diverse range of plants for a robust ecosystem.
Your March garden can thrive with proper planning and consistent care—stay engaged!
- Stevia – Growing Your Own Sweetener!
- My Simple, Zero-Waste Herb Drying Setup
- The Lazy Gardener’s Plant List – Plant Once, Eat For Years!
- How To Tell When Watermelon Is Ripe
- Tips To Plant & Grow The Best Tomatoes
Water/Irrigation/Drought
Track your progress in the March garden to see what works best for your growing conditions.
- 3 Rainwater Collection Systems We Use
- Cheap (or FREE) Wood Mulch For The Garden
- Using Vining Plants For Living Mulch
- Surprising Use For Empty Clay Pots In The Garden
The March garden is all about preparation and planning for the fruitful months ahead.
Garden Tips
- How To Save Outdoor Plants Even During A Hard Freeze
- Growing A Sustainable Garden: Eco-Friendly Practices
- Tricking Birds AWAY From Your Strawberry Plants
- What To Leave In Your Garden To Help Wildlife Survive Winter
MORE Gardening Posts
Walk through your March garden frequently to monitor growth and respond to any issues promptly.
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11 Responses
Here in Texas, if you aren’t making salsa with your tomatoes, you should probably move to another state!!!
LOL – I really can’t argue with that logic Tim. 😀 ~TxH~
No properly ripe homgrown ‘mater needs help although I do love tomato sandwiches, tomato gravy over biscuits, caprese salad and uncooked pasta sauce as well as just a plate of ’em sliced.
We love to make salads with tomato.
Eat them like apples, straight from the plant, warm from the sun
that i can make a delicious recipes with tomatoes. i love my tomatoes .
My boys and granddaughters like them on sandwiches.
Make salsa.
Hey Tammy, I’m not sure if I told you but Kaleigh and I are now in the great state of Wisconsin… I had to laugh at your 19 degrees. I’m sure you heard we had -50. No school for a week…crazy weather, even for here. They do have a thing called Victory Gardens here. They come and build the garden, and put in the organic soil at a cheaper price then you can diy. If you get a chance look it up. So I will be getting one and Kaleigh and I can have more then pot “gardens”. I’m pretty excited, I haven’t had a garden since leaving Texas. I’m already looking at heirloom seeds. We have beets and lettuce so far. And I think I may be back in rhubarn country….yeah! I think carrots are next on the list.
I figure no matter where in the world you live, there’s always somewhere with worse weather than you. In my case I was more distraught at the below-freezing temps for 3 consecutive nights killing any chances of me having a pear harvest (and it DID) I’m dreaming of a pear harvest next year though. I’ve heard of victory gardens and I’m a big fan. Back during WWII it was touted as your patriotic duty to grow a ‘Victory Garden’ to feed your own family so that the country’s resources could go toward the war effort. But I’m loving that there’s an organization in WI that has a turnkey option for its residents. How cool! I know y’all are looking forward to it too. Have fun! ~TxH~
Oops that should be rhubarb I have no idea what a rhubarn is, but I guess it’s a word.