What to plant in March: zone 6a
Zone 6a averages its last spring frost around April 30 and its first fall frost around October 10. Everything below is timed from those two dates, so it stays useful whether you're planting for summer or for a fall harvest.
Dormant care
- Check season-extension geararound Mar 5
Patch row cover, cold frames and hoops now so a late freeze can't catch you unprepared.
- Pre-sprout seed potatoesaround Mar 19
Chit potatoes in a bright, cool spot for 2 weeks. Sprouted pieces jump ahead once planted.
Start indoors
- Pepperaround Mar 5
8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Pinch first flowers on transplants so the plant invests in roots before setting fruit.
- Parsleyaround Mar 5
8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Soak seeds 24 hrs before sowing. Cut outer stems and it comes back for years in mild zones.
- Chivesaround Mar 5
8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Divide the clump every 3 years: one plant becomes six with no effort.
- Oreganoaround Mar 5
8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Harvest just before flowering for the strongest flavor. Dries beautifully.
- Thymearound Mar 5
8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Needs sharp drainage. Plant in gravelly soil or a raised bed edge. Never wet feet.
- Sagearound Mar 5
8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Prune hard in spring to prevent woody stems and keep the plant productive for 5+ years.
- Eggplantaround Mar 5
8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Eggplant sulks in cold soil. Transplant 3 weeks after last frost, not on it. Harvest while skin is glossy: dull skin means bitter, seedy flesh.
- Scallion (Green Onion)around Mar 5
8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Sow thickly in a band and harvest by pulling every other plant: the rest fill in the gap.
- Jalapeño Pepperaround Mar 5
8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Corking (light brown cracks near the stem) means the pepper is fully ripe and at peak heat, not damaged.
- Poblano Pepperaround Mar 5
8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Picked green it's a poblano; left to ripen red on the plant and dried, it becomes an ancho chile.
- Cayenne Pepperaround Mar 5
8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Thin-walled pods dry easily on the plant or strung indoors; harvest for drying once fully red.
- Shishito Pepperaround Mar 5
8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Pick while still green and wrinkled for the classic blistered appetizer; about 1 in 10 fruits carries real heat.
- Lemon Balmaround Mar 5
8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Cut back hard before it flowers and sets seed, or it self-sows into every corner of the garden.
- Lovagearound Mar 5
8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Grows 4-6 ft tall once established; give it the back of the bed and divide the crown every few years to keep it productive.
- Catniparound Mar 5
8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Fence it off if cats roam the neighborhood: they'll flatten the plant and any seedlings around it rolling in the scent.
- Anise Hyssoparound Mar 5
8 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Deadhead spent spikes to extend bloom all summer; bees and hummingbirds favor it over almost anything else nearby.
- Tomatoaround Mar 19
6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Bury 2/3 of the transplant stem. Roots form along the buried stem for a stronger plant.
- Kalearound Mar 19
6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Fall crop sweetens after first frost. Plan a July sowing for the best flavor.
- Broccoliaround Mar 19
6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). After cutting the main head, side shoots keep coming for weeks: don't pull the plant.
- Basilaround Mar 19
6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Pinch flower spikes the moment you see them: leaves stay sweet all season.
- Cabbagearound Mar 19
6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Firm heads need steady water and steady nitrogen. Once a head feels solid, cut it: leaving it in summer heat splits it open overnight.
- Caulifloweraround Mar 19
6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Cauliflower is the fussiest brassica: any check in water or nitrogen makes it button into a tiny head. Blanch white types by tying outer leaves over the curd.
- Brussels Sproutsaround Mar 19
6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). This is a fall crop: frost is what turns the sprouts sweet. Around 4 weeks before harvest, top the growing tip so the plant pushes size into the sprouts.
- Kohlrabiaround Mar 19
6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Harvest the swollen stem at tennis-ball size, no bigger: past that it turns woody and fibrous fast.
- Romanescoaround Mar 19
6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). It's slower and fussier than cauliflower; give it the longest cool-weather window you can, spring or fall, not summer.
- Cucamelonaround Mar 19
6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Grows from a small tuberous root that overwinters indoors in pots north of zone 7; pick fruit at grape size for the best crunch.
- Tomatilloaround Mar 19
6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Plant at least two for pollination: a single tomatillo rarely sets fruit. Husk turns papery and splits when ripe.
- Ground Cherryaround Mar 19
6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Fruit drops when ripe, husk and all: rake or hand-pick off the ground every few days rather than picking from the plant.
- Radicchioaround Mar 19
6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Cool fall weather brings out its best deep red color and mellows bitterness; grow it as a fall crop where possible.
- Sorrelaround Mar 19
6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Snip flower stalks as they appear to keep leaves tender; the lemony tang fades if the plant is allowed to bolt.
- Malabar Spinacharound Mar 19
6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Not a true spinach; it's a vigorous heat-loving vine that replaces greens through the hottest weeks other greens can't survive.
- Summer Savoryaround Mar 19
6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Harvest just before flowering for the best flavor, then shear the whole plant back for a second flush.
- Chamomile (German)around Mar 19
6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Pick flowers at midday once fully open, on a dry day, for the strongest tea; it dries quickly on a screen out of direct sun.
- Shiso (Perilla)around Mar 19
6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Self-sows aggressively once established; pinch spent flower spikes if you don't want volunteers taking over next spring.
- Anisearound Mar 19
6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Needs a long, warm, frost-free season to set seed; stake plants, as the thin stalks flop once seed heads fill out.
- Epazotearound Mar 19
6 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Self-sows freely once established; use a light hand in cooking, since the flavor is strong and a little goes a long way.
- Collardsaround Mar 26
5 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). The most forgiving green in the garden. Harvest bottom leaves upward and it produces for months. Leaves picked after a frost are noticeably sweeter.
- Napa Cabbagearound Mar 26
5 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (04-30). Grow it as a fall crop where possible: napa bolts in spring heat but forms a tight, sweet head in cooling fall days.
Direct sow
- Daikon Radisharound Mar 5
Soil is ready -8 weeks before last frost.
- Napa Cabbagearound Mar 19
Soil is ready -6 weeks before last frost.
- Fava Beanaround Mar 19
Soil is ready -6 weeks before last frost.
- Radicchioaround Mar 19
Soil is ready -6 weeks before last frost.
- Mâche (Corn Salad)around Mar 19
Soil is ready -6 weeks before last frost.
- Claytonia (Miner's Lettuce)around Mar 19
Soil is ready -6 weeks before last frost.
- Peaaround Mar 26
Soil is ready -5 weeks before last frost.
Transplant out
- Raspberryaround Mar 19
Goes out 6 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.
- Blueberryaround Mar 19
Goes out 6 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.
- Blackberryaround Mar 19
Goes out 6 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.
- Grapearound Mar 19
Goes out 6 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.
- Applearound Mar 19
Goes out 6 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.
- Peararound Mar 19
Goes out 6 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.
- Peacharound Mar 19
Goes out 6 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.
- Rhubarbaround Mar 19
Goes out 6 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.
- Plumaround Mar 19
Goes out 6 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.
- Cherryaround Mar 19
Goes out 6 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.
Garden care
- Wake the bedsaround Mar 26
Turn in compost, cut down cover crops, and let the soil warm two weeks before the first sowing.
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