Nick Bailey's guide to March pruning

As we bid adieu to the frosty winter, March arrives with a burst of color and a tantalising promise of warmer days. It’s the perfect time to dust off those gardening gloves and let your inner green thumb run wild (if you haven’t already).

When garden space is at a premium, growing beets in containers is an easy way to cultivate this favorite vegetable. By adding beets to your garden-vegetable list, you’re getting a double harvest: Both beet leaves and beetroots are nutritious and easy to prepare. Beets can tolerate frosts as well as warmer weather, giving you a container-gardening crop throughout the seasons. Whether you prefer to start your beets indoors or to direct sow them, you can grow them out in a pot in just 2 months or less after germination. In this article, you’ll read about why and how to grow beets in containers, from beet seeds and seeding to potting mix and fertilizing.

April in the garden is a time of fresh beauty and feverish activity for us gardeners. Seeds are sown regularly, and once germinated, they are pricked out and potted on. Nights are often still cold though, and taking winter protection off your tender plants might be a little premature depending on the year’s weather. The colour is found in the bulbs – daffodils, early bluebells and tulips. The weeds (if you let them grow) will be in full flush with a delicious bounty of wild garlic and fresh nettle leaves.

March is that time of the year which marks the fresh growth in many plants – pruning around this time places a vital role for the coming burst of Spring and Summer, preparing the specimens to bloom properly!

Check out the latestepisode of the SC Grower Exchange Podcast.

Irrigation systems can now be turned on to perform annual audits before spring officially arrives.

Barbara is back on her feet! Spring is arriving at Crooked Trail Farm.

This is a purposeful moment in the vegetable garden. Spring is in the air and I’m gearing up for the busiest time of year. You can start sowing hardy crops such as broad beans, chard, beetroot, lettuce and carrots. But the weather and soil can still be cold in March, so only sow seeds outdoors if you are feeling confident it is warm enough. Alternatively – and, I think, preferably – you can start sowing these crops under cover, either germinating them indoors and growing them on in a cold frame, or in a greenhouse. Sowing seeds in trays and modules gives you more control, as you can plant them out as seedlings rather than taking the risk of leaving them to germinate in the ground. A compromise is to sow seeds in raised troughs, where the soil will be warmer and you can cover them with cloches or panes of glass to protect them further. However, onion sets and garlic can be planted straight out in the garden now.

Although snowdrops are all but over, hellebores are still making a big statement in the garden and it could be easy to overlook other signs of early spring. I haven’t made a point of featuring hellebores in  a post this season, not yet anyhow, but thought I would begin my post that links with Jim’s Six on Saturday meme at Garden Ruminations with H ‘Glenda’s Gloss’, to show off her intriguing blooms – you don’t need to be able to look Glenda in the face to see how beautiful she is.

March unfolds, garden enthusiasts eagerly prepare to breathe life into their outdoor spaces. This month marks the beginning of a vibrant gardening season, filled with promise and potential. The earth starts to awaken from its winter slumber, making it the perfect time to sow the seeds for a spectacular garden. Among the many choices, carefully selecting the right plants in March is crucial for a thriving and colourful garden.

March growing with Rachel

March growing with Cel Robertson