By Katherine Hegemann
The first signs of spring are upon us; March is here. The daffodils, hyacinth, snow bells, crocus, and tulips are pushing up toward the sun. Gardeners of all types are itching to get their hands in the dirt and grow something, anything.
Early Spring Gardens
Did anything from your fall garden survive winter? If you are fortunate, you might be seeing collards, spinach, kale, lettuce, Swiss chard, or turnips. Since the snow fell early enough to cover the turnips and prevent them from freezing solid, you should be able to have some for dinner.
The vegetables that survived can form the basis for a very early spring garden. It is essential that you get a head start on weeds. Pull them and throw them on the garden compost pile. These weeds are still so tender and the roots so shallow that pulling them is a snap, and they will decompose easily.
You can plant beets and onions during March, but you are going to face the real probability that there will be another hard freeze and snow. Be sure to check the long-term forecast. The Old Farmer’s Almanac is predicting some snow at the end of the month.
It is very important to have a planting dates chart before you start out. The chart below is for the entire county; however, those at higher elevations need to adjust as needed. You should either plant a little later or protect new seedlings from the lower temperatures. Remember that what might work for someone else might not work for you.
Planting Dates for Johnson County, Tennessee | ||||
Crop | Start Seeds Indoors | Moon-favorable Dates | Start Seeds in the Ground | Moon-favorable Dates |
Beans | May 10-24 | May 10-17 | ||
Beets | Apr 19-May 31 | Apr 19-May 2 | ||
Broccoli | Mar 15-29 | Mar 15-19 | Apr 19-26 | |
Brussels sprouts | Mar 15-29 | Mar 15-19 | ||
Cabbage | Mar 15-29 | Mar 15-19 | May 3-17 | May 3-17 |
Carrots | Apr 5-19 | Apr 18-19 | ||
Cauliflower | Mar 15-29 | Mar 15-19 | May 3-17 | May 3-17 |
Celery | Mar 15-29 | Mar 15-19 | ||
Corn | May 24-31 | |||
Cucumbers | Apr 12-26 | Apr 12-17 | May 17-24 | 17-May |
Lettuce | Mar 29-Apr 12 | Apr 3-12 | May 3-24 | May 3-17 |
Melons | Apr 12-26 | Apr 12-17 | May 24-31 | |
Onion sets | Apr 12-19 | Apr 18-19 | ||
Parsnips | Apr 19-May 10 | Apr 19-May 2 | ||
Peas | Mar 29-Apr 12 | Apr 3-12 | ||
Peppers | Mar 15-29 | Mar 15-19 | ||
Potato tubers | May 10-24 | May 18-24 | ||
Pumpkins | Apr 12-26 | Apr 12-17 | May 17-24 | 17-May |
Radishes | May 3-17 | |||
Spinach | Mar 29-Apr 12 | Apr 3-12 | ||
Squash, summer | Apr 12-26 | Apr 12-17 | May 17-24 | 17-May |
Squash, winter | Apr 12-26 | Apr 12-17 | May 17-24 | 17-May |
Tomatoes | Mar 15-29 | Mar 15-19 | ||
Ready?
Is it time to plant some seed? Not yet folks. The chart above uses the moon-favorable dates. It is really easy to use. If the moon is going from none to full or waxing, seed above ground harvest plants (kale, beans, broccoli). If the moon is going from full to none or waning, seed below ground harvest plants (potatoes, carrots, beets, turnip bottoms). The full moon and the no moon will last three days each.
From the chart, you can see that peas and spinach should be planted in late March. Carrots can be planted during the first half of April. From mid-April until May, you can plant beets, broccoli, onions, and parsnips. Everything else should be planted starting May 15.
Very important to the vegetable gardener are the hardiness planting zones. These have been redefined in the past ten years. Johnson County is in zone 6b; however, the eastern most part of the county is in zone 6a. For a detailed planting chart for our zone please consult the link given.
A Garden Planting Chart—Zones 5 and 6 | |||||||
Crop | Days to Maturity | Spring Planting Dates | Fall Planting Dates | Seed/Plants 100 ft. | Distance Between Rows | Distance Between Plants | Depth to Plant |
Asparagus | 2nd season | Apr 5 - 25 | 50 roots | 3 to 5 ft. | 1½ to 2 ft. | 6 in. | |
Bean, bush | 50-60 | Apr 25 - May 30 | July 25-Aug 5 | ½ lb. | 3 ft. | 2 to 4 in. | 1-1½ in. |
Bean, pole | 65-75 | May 10 - 20 | ½ lb. | 3 ft. | 6 to 12 in. | 1-1½ in. | |
Bean, lima | 65-75 | May 10 -25 | 1 lb. | 2 to 2½ ft. | 3 to 4 in. | 1-1½ in. | |
Beet | 55-65 | Apr 1 - 15 | Aug 1 - Sept 25 | 1 oz. | 2 to 2½ ft. | 2 in. | 1 in. |
Broccoli | 60-80 | Mar 25 - Apr 5 | Sept. 25 - 30 | 100 plants | 2½ ft. | 14 to 18 in. | - |
Cabbage | 65-80 | Apr 1 - 20 | Sept 20 -30 | 100 plants | 2½ ft. | 12 in. | - |
Cantaloupe | 80-90 | May 10 - 20 | 1 oz. | 4 to 6 ft. | 3½ to 4 ft. | 1½ in | |
Carrot | 70-80 | Mar 25 - Apr 10 | Sept 20 -30 | ½ oz. | 2 ft. | 2 to 3 in. | ½ in. |
Cauliflower | 55-60 | Apr 1 - 20 | Sept 20 - 30 | 100 plants | 3 ft. | 12 to 18 in. | - |
Collard | 55-70 | Mar 20 - Apr 10 | ½ oz. | 2½ ft. | 8 to 16 in. | ½ in. | |
Corn | 80-100 | May 1 - July 20 | ¼ lb. | 3 to 3½ ft. | 12 to 18 in. | 2 in. | |
Cucumber | 60-65 | May 10 - 30 | 1 oz. | 3½ to 5 ft. | 3 to 4 ft. | 1½ in. | |
Eggplant | 75-90 | May 15 - 25 | 50 plants | 3 ft. | 2½ to 3 ft. | - | |
Kale | 50-70 | Mar 25 - Apr 5 | ½ oz. | 3 ft. | 10 in. | ½ in. | |
Kohlrabi | 50-70 | Apr 1 - 15 | Sept 20 - 25 | ½ oz. | 3 ft. | 10 in. | ½ in. |
Lettuce | 60-85 | Apr 1 - May 15 | Sept 1 - 15 | ½ oz. | 2 to 2½ ft. | 10 to 12 in. | ½ in. |
Mustard | 40-50 | Mar 25 - May 1 | Aug 1 - 30 | ½ oz. | 2 ft. | 1 in. | ½ in. |
Okra | 55-60 | May 10 - 25 | 1 oz. | 3 to 3½ ft. | 6 in. | 1 in. | |
Onion (mature) | 100-120 | Mar 25 - Apr 15 | Sept. 1-Dec. 31 | 300 plants or ½ gal. sets | 1 to 2 ft. | 3 to 4 in. | ¾ in. |
Peas, garden | 60-80 | Mar 25 - Apr 10 | 1 lb. | 2½ ft. | 1 in. | 1½-2 in. | |
Peas, southern | 60-70 | May 1 - 15 | - | ½ lb. | 3 ft. | 4 to 6 in. | 1½-2 in. |
Pepper | 65-80 | May 15 - 30 | - | 50 plants | 2½ ft. | 1½ to 2 ft. | - |
Potato, Irish | 70-90 | Apr 1 - 15 | 1 peck | 2½ to 3 ft. | 10 to 14 in. | 5 in. | |
Potato, sweet | 90-150 | May 15-June 5 | - | 100 plants | 3½ ft. | 12 in. | - |
Radish | 25-30 | Mar 25 - May 1 | Aug 1- 20 | 1 oz. | 1½ ft. | 1 in. | ½ in. |
Spinach | 40-45 | Apr 1 - 20 | Aug 10 - Sept 20 | 1 oz. | 1½ to 2 ft. | 1 to 2 in. | ¾ in. |
Squash, bush | 50-55 | May 15 - 30 | 1 oz. | 3 to 4 ft. | 2 ft. | 1½-2 in. | |
squash, winter | 85-90 | May 15 - 30 | - | ½ oz. | 5 ft. | 3 ft. | 1½-2 in. |
Tomato | 70-85 | May 15 - 30 | 50 plants | 3 to 4 ft. | 2½ to 3 ft. | - | |
Turnip | 45-65 | Mar 25 - May 1 | Aug 5 - Sept 20 | ½ oz. | 1 to 2 ft. | 1 to 2 in. | ½ in. |
Watermelon | 80-90 | May 10 - 20 | 1 oz. | 10 ft. | 8 to 10 ft. | 1½ in. | |
Note: Planting dates in this chart are approximate for North Missouri. Southern plantings should vary around two weeks earlier in the spring and later in the fall. | |||||||
Next Up
You have a few weeks before you should plant anything, so now is the time to prepare your beds. If you are going to till, now is the time. Make sure the ground is not too wet, but be sure to get this done by then last week of March. If you have permanent beds, you should be turning the soil and adding compost and decomposed mulch.
A good garden bed should be no less than eighteen inches and no more than four feet wide. You need to be able to reach to the middle with ease. The length depends on your garden size and design. Some beds might be four by six feet. Others may be eighteen inches by fifteen feet. It’s your choice.
Take a pitchfork and pull up a foot of dirt. Turn the dirt and loosen it completely. Add the compost and mulch then turn it again. You can use a small tiller for this if you have one or one you can borrow or rent. Now take your garden rake and mound up the soil to define your bed. Finish it off by dragging a lawn rake to flatten the top.
It is also a good time to clean between your rows and beds and lay down a thick layer of mulch. The mulch will make permanent paths and deter weeds.
Can’t Wait?
But what if you just can’t wait to grow something? It is possible to have a few plants in a container. As long as you have a way to protect the seedlings from freezing, you can do this now. One of the most important rules for container gardening is to be sure each container is large enough to handle root systems.
A good mix for a container is two parts good potting soil and one part vermiculite or sand. You can buy premade mixes or make your own. It is essential that whatever you use must not compact during the planting season. It has to stay loose or the plants will either be stunted or die from root rot.
Potting soil is often not soil at all but the elements nature uses to create soil. Here is a partial list of what can be in potting soil: sterilized soil, sand, compost, composted pine bark, peat moss, manure, alfalfa, sawdust, clay, and perlite (from volcanic rock). For a complete list of possible ingredients in potting soil, visit ATTRA: Potting Mixes.
Table 1. A Selection of Organic Fertilizers for Use in Growing Mediaa | |||
Fertilizer Material | Estimated N-P-K | Rate of Nutrient Release | Salt and pH Effects |
Alfalfa Meal | 2.5 – 0.5 – 2.0 | Slow | |
Blood Meal | 12.5 – 1.5 – 0.6 | Medium-Fast | |
Bone Meal | 4.0 – 21.0 – 0.2 | Slow | Tends to acidify |
Cottonseed Mealb | 7.0 – 2.5 – 1.5 | Slow-Medium | |
Crab Meal | 10.0 – 0.3 – 0.1 | Slow | |
Feather Meal | 15.0 – 0.0 – 0.0 | Slow | |
Fish Meal | 10.0 – 5.0 – 0.0 | Medium | |
Granite Meal | 0.0– 0.0 – 4.5 | Very Slow | |
Greensand | 0.0– 1.5 – 5.0 | Very Slow | |
Bat Guano | 5.5 – 8.6 – 1.5 | Medium | |
Seabird Guano | 12.3 – 11.0 – 2.5 | Medium | |
Kelp Meal | 1.0 – 0.5 – 8.0 | Slow | Possibly high-salt |
Dried Manure | Depends on source | Medium | Possibly high-salt |
Colloidal Phosphate | 0.0 – 16.0 – 0.0 | Slow-Mediumc | |
Rock Phosphate | 0.0 – 18.0 – 0.0 | Very Slow-Slowc | |
Soybean Meal | 6.5 – 1.5 – 2.4 | Slow-Medium | |
Wood Ash | 0.0 – 1.5 – 5.0 | Fast | Very alkaline, salts |
Worm Castings | 1.5 – 2.5 –1.3 | Medium | |
There are people at all of our local gardening supply business who can help you find the right size container and the best growing mix for success. Gardener’s Supply Company has a wealth of information online.
Step-By-Step
Take the container, which should hold at least twenty quarts of potting soil, wash it out with disinfectant and let it dry in the sun. New containers are sometimes sprayed with pesticides, and you don’t want that. Containers you are reusing can contain bacteria, mold, or fungus from the previous plants, and you sure don’t want that either. The combination of disinfectant and sunlight will clean the pot and kill off contaminants.
Fill the pot up to three inches below the rim with the potting mix. If you desire, you can add a very weak solution of fish emulsion. Just remember fish emulsion, even the deodorized, has some smell. You might not want your pot too close to entry ways or open windows.
Put the seeds on top of the soil then cover to the correct depth required. You can, of course, just poke the seeds down to the right depth. Thoroughly wet the soil to at least one to two inches deep. Be very gentle with this to prevent the seeds from being displaced.
You will need something to label the name of the vegetable or herb you’re planting and the date you plant. Popsicle sticks work well as do pieces of flat wood cut at least four inches long. Take a permanent, sharp-tipped marker to write plant name and date. Stick the stake down one side so you can keep up with germination time and date to expect mature plants. Place the pot near a south facing wall that will receive six hours of sun daily.
It is necessary to make some kind of cover to protect seedlings in case of a hard freeze or frozen precipitation. A removable wire cage that fits the pot and either clear plastic sheeting or light cloth will shield the plants.
Yes, March is when we start the time-honored process of gardening. Humans have been growing plants for thousands of years. The whole process is beneficial to you. You get exercise, time for reflection, and satisfaction in seeing the majesty of nature. It doesn’t matter if your garden is a four foot by four foot space or one of those 1200 square foot plots; it is your garden to enjoy.
© 2011, Katherine Hegemann
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