14 Vegetable Seeds You Should Plant in March

Spring is just around the corner, and for those of us who live in a temperate climate, this is the perfect time to start thinking about what seeds to sow in March. To make it easier for beginner gardeners, I’ve put together a list of the types of vegetables and fruits that are best to plant in March if you’re gardening in hardiness zone 6 or 7. 

These vegetables and fruits will produce good results for most people, but you should check the planting calendars and adjust the planting time for your location if you are in an area with very hot or very cold weather. If you live in a colder climate just plant something from this list of seeds you can plant in February.

Leafy greens seeds that you can plant in March:

Leafy greens are one of the first crops gardeners enjoy each year. Plants in this category are usually cold-resistant and will tolerate a light frost. The seeds are also inexpensive, so even losing a crop is not that bad in the end. But most often these plants pull through the last cold Spring days and give you freshly harvested salad greens.

Spinach

Spinach is a delicious cold-weather vegetable that is going to produce harvest after harvest until late spring when the temperatures get too hot. For zones from 5 to 10, planting in March or when the soil can be cultivated will ensure that you have a good harvest before sowing.

You can plant spinach up to 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost, as it’s pretty cold resistant. The earlier you plant it, the more time you have to reap its delicious leaves until it bolts under the summer heat.

I usually sow the spinach seeds in long rows, about 3 rows per bed, and cover them lightly with some compost. I then cover the whole garden bed with thick gardening fleece to give them a better chance of surviving cold nights and cold spells.

Lettuce

Lettuce is an excellent vitamin A source and adds color to a salad prepared for a summer treat. For climate zones from 5 to 10, start the salad seeds 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost.

You can grow lettuce for salad greens, by sowing it directly outside and covering it with a thin layer of soil and a gardening fleece. If you choose this method, you’ll have a constant source of baby salad leaves. Once you harvest a spot, new leaves will grow from the same roots, and this will keep until the weather gets too hot.

If you want to grow lettuce heads, it’s better to sow the lettuce seeds in pot trays, using one seed per pot. You can start those inside and keep them on a well-lit window-seal until they develop 2 to 4 true leaves. After that you want to transplant them outside in your garden, spacing them 25-30cm apart, and again, cover them with gardening fleece. This way the lettuce heads have a lot of space to grow and you’ll get some beautiful big harvests.

Root Vegetable Seeds You Can Plant In March

Root vegetables are a great addition to your garden and your pantry. They are especially rich in soluble and insoluble fiber, which promotes the health of intestinal bacteria, lowers blood fat and blood glucose levels. Here are just a few of the root vegetable seeds that you can plant in March:

Beets

Beets are a tasty root vegetable, edible as bulbs and green crops. Beets prefer colder weather and can be grown from early spring to late summer. We have a whole article dedicated to growing beets, where we go over tips and tricks for a better harvest.

Carrots

We’re unable to grow carrots here at the Valhalla homestead, our clay soil doesn’t let them grow properly. But if your soil has good tilth, growing carrots is a must. Apart from the typical orange, carrots can be found in red, white, rainbow, and purple colors.

It is best to plant carrots about four weeks before the last frost. For climate zones from 5 to 10, plant carrot seeds indoors so you can shift them outdoors in early to mid-May. In some areas, you can also grow carrots as an autumn and winter crop.

However, you can also plant carrots directly in the garden. A pro gardening tip is to cover the carrot seeds with a wood board for the first few days for better germination. Don’t forget to thin them heavily, I know it breaks your heart, but you have to.

Onions

Onions are root crops, but some recommendations are to treat them like leaf crops. If you live in hardiness zones from 5 to 10, you’ll enjoy the best quality onions grown in your own garden.

You can plant onion seeds, sets, or the first plant. We recommend planting the little onion bulbs you find at the seed stores and enjoy both green onions throughout Spring and harvest the mature onion bulbs at the end of Summer.

Brassica Seeds You Can Plant In March

Brassica’s are another big family of plants you can plant in March. They prefer colder climates and shaded areas. As soon as the days get a little warm, they bolt and go to flower, ruining your whole harvest. So choose a shady area when planting those and start as early as possible.

Broccoli and cauliflower

Broccoli is a tough, cold-season vegetable that brings green and colorful nutrients to the table. The biggest threat when growing broccoli is warm weather. Once the temperature warms up at the end of Spring, the broccoli will bolt and go to flower. But, if you fail your spring broccoli crop, don’t worry, it is usually considered an autumn crop, so you’ll be able to plant broccoli in September.

Sow one broccoli or cauliflower seed per seed pot and place the seed tray either inside your house on a bright window seal, or in a greenhouse. Once the little plants have 3-4 leaves, you can transplant them outside in your garden.

Cabbage

Cabbage is one of the simplest plants to grow in the garden, as it is a hardy vegetable available in different colors and sizes. It grows from zone 5 to 10, you just need to be sure to select the right variety for your location. Depending on the species, cabbages can mature in mid-summer or late autumn, so think about this when planning your garden.

Start the cabbage indoors seven weeks before the last frost. Once the weather gets warmer, transplant them outside. Don’t forget to fertilize and water when the cabbage head begins to form and watch out for slugs.

Peas

Peas are not brassicas, but I didn’t have anywhere else to put them. They are cool weather vegetables that bloom in spring. In climate zones from 5 to 10, green peas and sugar peas can be started 4 to 6 weeks before the last spring frost to get a summer harvest.

Peas do not like hot weather, so time these crops either for early spring or early autumn. Don’t forget to give them a sturdy trellis to climb upon.

Start your seedling nursery in March

Now is also a good time to start a seedling nursery for heat-loving crops such as cucumbers, eggplants, and tomatoes. These plants are not cold-resistant so you should grow them inside a heated space where the temperatures never drop below freezing. These vegetables need a long growing season to produce a nice harvest, so the earlier you can start the seedling, the bigger the plants will be once you can transplant them.

Cucumbers

Cucumbers, once established are a fast-growing plant that can produce delicious veggies in abundance. There are a lot of varieties of cucumber seeds, read the packet labels to see how much space they need before you pick a spot for them in your garden.

For hardiness zones 5 and 6, start the seeds indoors in March, so you can transplant them outdoors between April and June. In warmer areas, they can be sown directly in the ground, two weeks after the last frost.

Eggplants

Eggplants are delicious in a variety of cuisines, but they are also a great meat substitute for their hardy, soft texture. However, the plant takes a lot of time to mature, so we’d only recommend this crop for more experienced gardeners. Start the eggplant seeds indoors up to 10 weeks before the last frost, keep the little seedling watered and warm, and be patient.

Peppers

Peppers take up little space and can give high yields when planted close to each other—plant as many different varieties as possible. They come in small, medium, large sizes, and in different colors and spice levels.

For zones from 5 to 10, start sowing 6 to 12 weeks before the last frost for best results. Transplant them outside in your garden after the frosty days of spring are gone.

Garden tip: Remember that “Peppers like to hold hands”! Unlike most plants in our gardens, peppers like to be planted closer to each other, so that their leaves and brances touch when they grow bigger.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are the most popular garden vegetable for cultivation. Tomato growing is not only fun, but it also pampers you with the best-tasting fruits in the world. Varieties come in an array of colors, shapes, flavors, and sizes. There are hundreds of tomato varieties so it might be confusing to know which ones to start with. Our advice is to just pick a few and start!

For hardiness zones from 5 to 10, start sowing tomatoes 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost.

Start planting your squash, melons, and more in March

Summer squash, melons, pumpkins are all part of the Cucurbitaceae family. These are heat-loving plants that produce insane amounts of produce. They are easy to grow and low-maintenance, so you should definitely try those in your garden.

Summer squash

Summer squash is a very versatile plant for growing with many options. For zones from 5 to 10, starting in March or 3 to 4 weeks before the last frost and transplant it outside. Alternatively you can sow it directly in your garden after June. Summer squash loves the sun and good drainage.

Melons

Melons are the only fruit that you can sow in March. Melons are a sweet and colorful addition to your summer meal and are perfect for your home garden. For hardiness zones from 7 to 10, start seeds indoors. Melons are suitable for hot and long summers and are mandatory for summer picnics and family parties.

This is a pretty long and comprehensive list of vegetables that you can start planting in March. But the list is not exhaustive. Take into account your personal growing climate when planning your planting calendar for March and the early spring months and don’t be afraid to trust the instructions you see on the back of your seed packs. If this is your first time gardening, we wish you the best of luck and we welcome you to your new hobby!