March Madness: Kickstarting Your California Garden with a Spectacular Spring Lineup
Ready, set, GROW! Unleash your inner green thumb and discover the fabulous plants you can start sowing in your California garden this March.
It's time to shake off those winter blues and dive headfirst into the glorious world of spring gardening. March is the perfect month to start sowing seeds and planting all sorts of delightful greenery in your Golden State garden.
Veggie Victory: Edible Delights
March is prime time for getting your vegetable garden to a roaring start. Roll out the green carpet for cool-season veggies like lettuce, kale, and spinach, and start sowing warm-season crops like tomatoes, peppers, and squash indoors. Your taste buds will be doing a happy dance come harvest time!
Cool-season champions:
Start sowing seeds for delicious lettuce (¼ inch deep, outdoors), kale (½ inch deep, outdoors), spinach (½ inch deep, outdoors), radishes (½ inch deep, outdoors), and beets (1 inch deep, outdoors). These thrive in the cooler temperatures of early spring. Keep cool-season crops evenly moist.
Consider protecting young seedlings from strong winds in coastal areas. Afternoon shade may be needed for cool-season crops in hotter valleys as temperatures rise. In mountain regions, use cloches or cold frames to extend your season with frost protection.
Warm-season favorites:
Get a head start on tomatoes, peppers, squash, and cucumbers by sowing seeds indoors (½ inch deep). They'll love full sun in your indoor setup and be ready for transplanting when the weather heats up.
Flower Power: A Burst of Blooms
Spring is all about flowers, and March is the perfect month to plant eye-popping beauties in your California garden. Start sowing annual seeds like marigolds, sunflowers, and zinnias, or plant bulbs for dazzling dahlias and alluring alliums. Your garden will soon resemble a kaleidoscope of color.
Annual favorites: Sow seeds directly outdoors for eye-catching marigolds (¼ inch deep), sunflowers (1 inch deep), zinnias (¼ inch deep), cosmos (¼ inch deep), and California poppies (lightly sprinkle on the soil surface). Marigolds even deter pests when planted near your vegetables!
Coastal gardeners: Choose salt-tolerant blooms if gardening near the ocean.
Valley dwellers: Opt for heat-loving annuals like zinnias and cosmos.
Desert regions: Consider drought-tolerant beauties like desert marigold and penstemon.
Bulb beauties: Plant bulbs for dazzling dahlias, gladiolus, and alliums that will burst into color later in the season. Dahlias make stunning bouquets for your home!
Herb-aceous Goodness: Flavorful Foliage
There's nothing quite like snipping fresh herbs from your garden to elevate your favorite dishes. In March, start sowing seeds for aromatic herbs like basil, parsley, cilantro, and chives. Your culinary creations will be the talk of the town (or at least your family dinner table).
March is perfect for sowing basil (¼ inch deep, indoors), parsley (¼ inch deep, indoors or outdoors), cilantro (¼ inch deep, outdoors), chives (¼ inch deep, outdoors), mint (in a container, as it can be invasive), and other favorite herbs.
Tips: Harvest basil leaves before flowering for the best flavor, and use chives fresh in dips, salads, and on potatoes.
Coastal note: Many herbs thrive in cooler coastal zones, but consider starting some indoors for a few more weeks to protect them from cool nights.
Valley note: Provide herbs with some afternoon shade during the hottest summers
Mountain note: Start some herbs indoors if your growing season is short.
Fruit Fiesta: A Sweet Treat
Why not turn your California garden into a fruit-filled paradise? March is a great time to plant fruit trees like apricots, peaches, and plums or berry bushes like raspberries and blackberries. You'll soon be basking in the sweet, juicy rewards of your labor.
Orchard dreams: Plant bare-root or container-grown fruit trees like apricots, peaches, plums, apples, or citrus, depending on your region. It's crucial to confirm that your chosen varieties have chill hour requirements that match your specific region in California. Consider planting dwarf varieties if space is limited.
Berry bonanza: Start raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, and strawberry plants for a delicious harvest throughout the summer months. Most berries need full sun and well-draining soil.
Beyond Planting: Remember that many fruit trees require cross-pollination, so plant compatible varieties or check for self-pollinating options. Young trees may need protection from pests and sunburn (consider trunk wraps for delicate bark).
Going Native: Embracing California Flora
Give your garden a local touch by planting native California plants. March is an ideal time to start sowing seeds for drought-tolerant beauties like California poppies, lupines, and sagebrush. Not only will you create a stunning, low-maintenance landscape, but you'll also provide a habitat for local wildlife. It's a win-win!
Local wonders: Sow seeds for drought-tolerant California natives like poppies (lightly sprinkle on soil surface), lupines (¼ inch deep, outdoors), sagebrush (¼ inch deep, outdoors), and buckwheat (¼ inch deep, outdoors).
Benefits abound: Native plants attract pollinators like butterflies and hummingbirds, require less water, and offer a unique sense of place to your garden.
Microclimates:
Coastal: Native buckwheat is a favorite of coastal butterflies and thrives in sandy soil.
Valley: Manzanita offers shade and berries for birds in hotter regions.
Desert: Brittlebush brings cheerful yellow blooms to arid landscapes, attracting native bees.
Green Giants: Adding a Touch of Drama
Are you looking for some garden showstoppers? March is a fabulous time to plant ornamental grasses and towering perennials like phormiums, pampas grass, and artichokes. These green giants will add height, texture, and drama to your California garden.
Bold and beautiful: Plant ornamental grasses like feather reed grass or blue fescue, phormiums (for striking foliage), agaves (for desert landscapes), and artichokes (if your region allows, edible and dramatic).
Placement: Phormiums make excellent privacy screens, while ornamental grasses soften hardscapes and add year-round interest. Cacti and succulents offer unique textures and drought-tolerant appeal in desert gardens.
Microclimates:
Coastal: Choose grasses and agaves that tolerate salt spray.
Valley: Many ornamental grasses thrive in the heat, while agaves and succulents are well-suited for hotter regions.
Mountains: Consider cold-hardy grasses or dramatic perennials like coneflowers for visual impact.
March is the perfect month to kick off a fantastic growing season in your California garden. With a mix of veggies, flowers, herbs, fruits, and eye-catching foliage, you'll create a stunning, diverse landscape that's as pleasing to the eye as it is to the palate. So, embrace your inner gardener, have fun, and let the March planting madness begin!
