- Finish pruning roses and late-flowering shrubs.
- Divide congested perennials as soon as they start growing.
- Feed shrubs, roses and borders, then mulch.
- Sow hardy vegetables outdoors and summer crops in the warm.
- Protect new shoots from slugs and snails.
Spotlight: when to plant out summer vegetables, region by region
Tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, courgettes, cucumbers and basil are tropical plants: below 10–12°C at night they stall, turn yellow and fall ill. Planting them early gains you nothing – a plant set out two weeks later into warm soil usually catches up with and overtakes one planted into the cold.
As a rough guide: in the south and on the islands, planting out starts at the end of March in sheltered spots and carries on through April; in the centre from mid to late April; in the Po valley between late April and mid-May; in the hills and mountains at the end of May. Hardy crops – lettuces, peas, carrots, chard, onions – can be sown or planted out in March almost everywhere, under a tunnel in the north.
Before planting out, harden seedlings off for one or two weeks, outside by day and in at night. The signal to watch is the forecast night-time minimum, not the date: if a night below 10°C is expected in the days ahead, wait.
TomatoChilli pepperCourgetteCucumberBasil Planting out (hardening off) ›
In your area
Frost is still possible: sow only hardy vegetables outdoors (peas, carrots, lettuces, spinach), preferably under a tunnel. Tomatoes and peppers stay in their trays. Prune olives at the end of the month.
Plant out lettuces, onions and chard; sow carrots, peas and radishes. Tomatoes and courgettes go out at the end of April, not now.
Spring in full swing: tomatoes, peppers and courgettes can be planted out in sheltered spots at the end of the month. Prune citrus and feed olives and citrus. On sandy soils, the first watering begins.
Jobs this month
Borders and perennials
Perennials are divided as soon as they show new growth. It's the best way to rejuvenate clumps that have gone bare in the middle – and to get new plants for free.
Shrubs, roses and Mediterranean plants
Roses and late-flowering shrubs get their last prune. Oleanders, hibiscus and lantanas that spent the winter under cover are tidied and cut back before growth starts.
Vegetable garden and orchard
Hardy vegetables can be sown outdoors once the soil reaches about 7–8°C – a tunnel helps. Summer crops stay in their trays, except in the south.
Houseplants wake up
As the days lengthen, houseplants start growing again: repotting and feeding season begins.
Sow and plant
- Peas, carrots, lettuces, spinach, chard and radishes
- Tomatoes, peppers and aubergines in trays (in the north)
- Cucumbers, melons and courgettes in small pots in the warm
- Zinnias at the end of the month, cosmos and annual rudbeckias indoors
- Onions and shallots
- Potatoes
- Summer bulbs in pots under cover (lilies, gladioli)
- South: tomatoes and peppers in sheltered spots, at the end of the month
Watch out for
Questions
Can I put plants outside in March?
Hardy ones, yes. Tender plants – pelargoniums, dahlias, busy lizzies, citrus – should wait in the north until the frosts are over (mid to late April on the plains); in the south they can go out from mid-March on mild days.
When should tomatoes be planted out?
When nights stay above 10–12°C: late March to April in the south, late April in the centre, early to mid-May in the north.
When should I feed the garden?
A slow-release fertiliser in March or April as growth restarts, followed by a mulch while the soil is moist, is enough for most borders and shrubs.