The Westside Gardener Helping the Maritime Pacific Northwest gardener plant, grow, and harvest their garden - twelve months a year! http://westsidegardener.com Garden tasks for March By the first week of March, the thread of severe cold blasts is usually over. Cold-weather crops will grow, but rain is a constant and must be compensated for. http://westsidegardener.com/quick/timetable.html#march March

First Half

  • Transplant out, under a cloche, those salad greens you started in January.
  • Lettuce, spinach, and mustard seeds can all be sown into a cloche, and can be counted on to germinate.
  • Beets will come up, but may bolt later in summer if March ends up being cold. Early Wonder Tall Top is a good variety for these early sowings.
  • Scallions can be sown now. Note that they will probably bulb in July, but you will get a harvest.
  • Brassicas can be a bit dicier. Kohlrabi will usually come up if sown in a cloche, but broccoli and cauliflower normally will have to wait until April.
  • Carrots can be started this early. However, the soil is often too wet to be worked as well as carrots usually require. Shorter types, such as Kinko's 4" and Thumbelina, are better bets because they don't have the same requirement for deep loose soil.
  • Ladies and Gentlemen, start your tomatoes!

Second Half

  • Be a traditionalist, and plant your potatoes on St. Patty's day! Actually potatoes can be planted anytime from this point onward; but sowing them now (and then again in early June) will give you two harvests, if you use an early variety such as my favorite potato, Yukon Gold.
  • When starting peppers, I aim for the 21st of March. If I sow them in 4" pots, they are ready to go outside in mid-May.
]]> Overwintering Carrots Trav waxes poetic about his favorite winter vegetable http://westsidegardener.com/articles/2010/overwintering_carrots.html Pierce Conservation District native plant sale The 17th annual Pierce Conservation District native plant sale is underway! http://westsidegardener.com/ Drumheller Fountain photo update A number of people prefer the original (color) version of my Drumheller photo, so I've added it to the page as well. Take a look, and let me know which version you prefer! http://westsidegardener.com/photos/drumheller.html Photo: Drumheller Fountain It isn't a garden photo in any way, shape, or form - but I am really pleased with this. http://westsidegardener.com/photos/drumheller.html From the Mailbag: What's eating my rhododendron? My friend Sarah is vexed by the phantom notches appearing on her rhody leaves. http://westsidegardener.com/articles/2007/mailbag_rhody.html New Vegetable Seedling Photographs We've added some new images to the gallery, and more are on the way! http://westsidegardener.com/guides/seedlings/index.html Midsummer Garden Notes Random thoughts while I'm taking a break from planting and weeding... http://westsidegardener.com/articles/2007/midsummer_garden_notes.html Video tutorial: Transplanting tomatoes Our first foray into video demonstrates how to transplant your tomatoes into your garden. http://westsidegardener.com/video/transplanting_tomatoes.html Photo: Bumblebee flying over rhododendron This photo was harder to get than you might think. http://westsidegardener.com/photos/bee_and_rhody.html More evidence that you shouldn't throw away your old seeds... This year, one of my babies is somewhat special. http://westsidegardener.com/index.html A Wiseguy's Secret to Successful Transplanting A simple tip that'll help your transplants survive (but don't tell anyone you heard it from me). http://westsidegardener.com/articles/2007/successful_transplanting.html Photo: Gravenstein apple blossoms I liked the way the sun was shining through the petals! http://westsidegardener.com/photos/gravenstein_blossoms.html A Late Blight Myth Knowledge is Power. http://westsidegardener.com/articles/2007/late_blight_myth.html