March Means Start More Seeds

Seeds that were just started in March of 2021

March is here which can only mean it's time to start more seeds.  In Colorado it's still too cold to plant most things outside, although if you have fancy row coverings then you can start putting your cold loving crops outside.  We’re currently about two months away from Mother’s Day (eight weeks), which is a good general day to use for the last frost day where I live, although we can still get snow after Mother’s Day. You'll want to lookup the average last frost date for where you live and see how far away you are from this date. Some of you warm region folks may already be beyond this date and you may be able to start planting more seeds outside. For my next round of seeds, I'm going to be starting vegetables inside that say to plant them around 8 weeks from the last frost on the back of the seed packet.  Here's the list of what those are:

-Cabbage

-Broccoli

-Cauliflower

-Eggplant

-Hyssop

-Asparagus

-Marigolds

-Various flowers for hanging baskets and pots

If you have any seed packets left that say to start them more than 8 weeks from the last frost day, then go ahead and plant them, better late than never.  If some of the seeds that you started in February haven’t germinated, then go ahead and re-seed the ones that have not sprouted yet. All you do is you take another seed (the same kind of seed) and put it in the soil in the pot.

If you’re in a similar growing region to me, you're feeling adventurous and you want to plant a few things outside, you can do so with your cold loving veggies and greens such as:

-Radishes

-Lettuce

-Spinach

-Chard

-Arugula

-Bok Choy

-Tatsoi

-Kale

-Chinese Cabbage

-Mizuna

-Sorrel

-Chijimisai

If you’re not sure what some of those are, look them up on Professor Google and prepare to have your mind blown, they are all delicious.  While all of those love the cold if they get too cold then they might die, which is where the row covers come in.  Row covers keep your vegetables and greens warm for the small snaps of cooler weather, especially at night. This will be my first year using row covers and I am planting the above list outside under the covers (they're already planted as of posting this). I'll keep you updated on how this goes and how well my row covers work.

If you end up planting anything from the list above, be sure to plant them in small amounts to start with then plant more in a week or two, then more a week or two after that.  This is called succession planting and you are staggering not only the planting but when they will be ready to harvest.  This ensures that you won’t have a boatload of produce ready all at the exact same time.  Instead, you’ll have a steady supply of produce each week, which is what you want.

In the Comments Below: What region are you in? What seeds are you starting in March? Are you planting anything outside yet? What's your favorite season?