What to Plant in March

Can you believe it’s already autumn? Time to pull out the last of your summer harvest and prepare your garden to grow plants that will thrive in the cooler months to come.

This week we’re sharing another excellent article from my favourite online seedling store Awapuni Nurseries. There’s advice on what to plant at this time of year in the way of vegetables, herbs, flowers and natives as well as some ideas on how to use up the last of your summer harvest.

Welcome to Autumn!

General tidy up:

Pull out any summer vege that have done their dash

Lift and divide clumps of perennials

Start your compost heap

Clean your garden tools

Protect your garden from slugs

Prune hedges

Mow lawns

Vegetable garden

The first day of autumn is here which means it’s time to start planting those wholesome vege. Brassicas such as cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli are a staple autumn vege and do well with the cooler weather. You can also start planting your carrots, leeks and beetroot. Remember to rotate your planting. Plant your onions, carrots or leeks where you had your brassicas last year, and then move your brassicas to a new spot. This reduces the risk of any diseases spreading in your garden.

Make the most out of the last of your summer harvest and start preserving them. For tomatoes making a few bottles of old fashioned tomato sauce. If you’ve had enough of zucchini fritters, muffins and relish give this recipe for zucchini brownies a try. And for your plums and rhubarb we’ve got a delicious plum, rhubarb and ginger sauce that is a great dessert pie filler or just add a splash to your gin, to sweeten it up.

If the weather is starting to cool down, protect your chilli plants by either bringing them indoors or cover them with a plastic or glass container. We recommend only watering once or twice a week during autumn and winter. Protect their roots by applying a layer of mulch.

Flower and herb garden

There is plenty to plant this time of year! Polyanthus, pansies and primulas are very popular amongst home gardeners as they make perfect border plants, not to mention they grow really well in pots too. If you’re looking for something with a bit of height, why not try growing (tall) stock and antirrhinums (snap dragons)- they provide a great contrast to low growing plants and will add a bit of dimension and texture to your gardens.

In your herb garden you want to start planting sage, thyme, lemon balm, mint and parsley. You can still get away with planting basil, but we would recommend planting them in a warm spot or ideally in pots so you  can move them around as the temperature drops.

Autumn is also the time to plant natives, natives prefer wet and cold weather, if it’s still quite warm where you are our natives will keep well in our PB2 bags until you’re ready to plant, just remember to keep them well watered. The nursery has a variety of native plants for you to choose from – pittosprosums, akeake, manuka and kanuka are a great native to use for hedging. Flax, carex grass, NZ blueberry, banks peninsula (Festuca actea) and NZ rush (juncus edgariae) are perfect for riparian planting.

If you need some help with what to plant or what natives work well together, don’t hesitate to contact us.