March Gardening & Landscaping Guide

General Gardening Tips for March:

1. Green Cover Crop and Brassicas:

   • Sow a green cover crop like lupins or mustard seed in unused garden beds over winter.
   • Plant seedlings of brassicas – cauliflower, cabbage, and broccoli.
   • Include silverbeet for added variety.

2. Pumpkin and Melon Care:

   • Place pea straw under pumpkins and melons to prevent contact with damp soil and rot.

3. Radishes for Winter Salads:

   • Grow radishes for quick winter salads with daily watering for optimal growth.

4. Vegetable Garden:

   • Sow a three-way blend of peas, oats, and mustard as a green cover crop for unused winter beds.
   • Plant seedlings of various vegetables like cabbage, Chinese cabbage, broccoli, spinach, and spring onions.
   • Consider edible flowers for the vegetable patch: calendulas, violas, and Iceland poppies.

5. Parsley and Coriander:

   • Sow parsley and coriander, using curly parsley as a vibrant edging for winter vegetable gardens.

6. Weed Control:

   • Remove weeds before they go to seed to prevent future invasions in the vegetable garden.

March in the Ornamental Garden:

1. Autumn Planting:

   • Plant autumn-toned shrubs and flowers like tawny-colored NZ grasses, daylilies, heucheras, and NZ coprosmas.

2. Spring Flowering Bulbs:

   • Choose from tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths for early spring flowering bulbs.
   • Pot bulbs can be brought indoors as they bloom.

3. Lawn Care:

   • Grow a great lawn using recommended seed and Prolawn Lawn Starter with daily light watering for germination.
   • Trim hedges for a crisp shape in winter and add Premium Waikato Topsoil where roots are exposed.

Fruit and Vegetable Gardens in March

1. Prepare for Winter Growing:

   • Add Compost, Premium Garden Mix, and Sheep Pellets to sunny, sheltered areas for winter food growing.
   • Plant out cauliflower, broccoli seedlings, and sow carrot, parsnip, and silverbeet seeds.

2. Citrus and Other Fruit Trees:

   • Side dress citrus with Sheep Pellets or citrus fertilizer.
   • Feed citrus, feijoa, and fig trees as fruit develops.
   • Cover late-season blueberries, raspberries, and grapes with bird netting.

3. Cold Season Vegetables:

   • Plant seedlings of broccolini, purple sprouting broccoli, green Romanesco, and colored Asian greens.

4. Herbs and Tomatoes:

   • Sow parsley, spinach, and coriander.
   • Save heritage tomato seeds for next year.

5. Pruning and Other Tips:

   • Prune plum trees and use rosemary stems as kebab sticks.
   • Control Kowhai caterpillar with organic Bugtrol.
   • Landscape with drainage channels filled with drainage metal or river boulders.

6. Renovating Lawns:

   • Fertilise with Prolawn Lawn Booster, mow often, and re-sow bare patches.

7. Early Spring Flowering Bulbs:

   • Plant ranunculus, freesias, anemones, and crocuses.

8. Fertilise Winter Flowering Shrubs:

   • Fertilise shrubs like camellias, azaleas, and rhododendrons and apply mulch.

Landscape Project Ideas for March

1. Create a Relaxing Pebbled Area:

   • Make a pebbled area with chairs, favorite plants, and decorative stones for a restful space.

2. Lawns:

   • De-thatch if needed and oversow thin areas with appropriate seed and Prolawn Turfmaster Starter.

3. Garden Maintenance:

   • Fertilize the garden with ProLawn Garden Supreme.
   • Continue deadheading roses, and prune hedges and topiaries.

More gardening and landscaping ideas for March:

• Stabilize muddy areas with Jakmat for parking access and a decorative pebble finish.

Remember, these are general guidelines, and specific plant care may vary based on local conditions and plant varieties.