Gardening In March

Gardening in Scotland in March requires a bit of caution, as the weather can still be quite unpredictable. Here's a breakdown of key gardening tasks and considerations:

Key Considerations:

• Weather: 

  • Be prepared for continued cold and potential frosts.

  • Soil temperatures will still be low.

  • Protection for vulnerable plants is essential.

• Soil: 

  • Only work the soil when it's workable (not waterlogged or frozen).

  • Preparing soil by adding compost is a good idea.

    
    

Gardening Tasks:

• Sowing Seeds: 

  • Indoors/Greenhouse: 

    • Start seeds for plants that need a long growing season, such as tomatoes, chillies, peppers, and aubergines.

    • Sow hardy vegetables like broad beans and some brassicas.

  • Outdoors: 

    • If soil conditions are favourable, sow hardy vegetables like peas, broad beans, and some brassicas (cabbage, kale, radish).

    • Be prepared to protect outdoor sowings with cloches or fleece.

      
      

• Planting: 

  • Plant early potatoes towards the end of the month, providing frost protection.

  • Plant onion and shallot sets.

  • Plant summer flowering bulbs such as lilies.

• General Tasks: 

  • Tidy up flower beds and borders, removing debris and weeds. 

  • Prune remaining winter-flowering shrubs.

  • Check garden structures for winter damage.

  • Apply mulch to beds to suppress weeds and retain moisture.

  • Keep on top of weeding.

  • Clean out bird feeders.

• Fruit: 

  • Last chance to carry out winter pruning of fruit trees and bushes.

  • Plant bare root fruit trees and bushes.

    
    

Important Tips:

• Check seed packets for specific sowing instructions.

• Protect young plants from frost with fleece or cloches.

• Be mindful of soil conditions before working the ground.

• When planting onion and shallot sets, protect them from birds with netting.

  
  

By being mindful of the weather and focusing on appropriate tasks, you can make a good start to your Scottish gardening season in March.