What to plant in March & early April

when it’s raining, snowing, wet, cold, warm or sunny!

March is an exciting month for gardeners, even in central Indiana. Most of us plant something, whether indoors, out or both! If you’re new to gardening or just need some ideas, let’s review what central Indiana March and early April weather allows us to plant outdoors.

If you were able to get some seeds planted outdoors when it was in the 70s and sunny this week––pat yourself on the back! The sun was shining, the ground was moist and workable and there was rain predicted in a few days, in other words, perfect conditions! If you couldn’t get out in the garden yet, like me, we must now wait to plant until the ground has dried out–otherwise we risk compacting our carefully amended soil.

Once the soil has dried out it will be the next chance to get out there and start cool season gardening. Here’s a list of plants you can direct sow or plant with starts long before our last frost date of April 23:
Peas – Peas are incredibly hardy and can be planted 8 weeks before the last frost date
Onions and Leeks – Most people don’t realize how hardy onions are. Plant them up to 6 weeks before the last frost date. Planting them this early gives them plenty of cool weather to get a running start on the growing season
Root Crops – You can direct sow seeds for plants like beets, turnips, radishes, and carrots as early as 8 weeks before the last frost
Leafy Greens – Kale, Swiss chard, arugula, spinach, Bok Choy, and lettuce can all be planted 8 weeks before the last frost. These crops are perfect for succession planting so remember to harvest early and keep re-sowing into summer. You may want to invest in a row cover to keep freezing temps or insect pests at bay.

Get started as soon as the soil drys out (if it’s too dry you can also spray lightly with water) for your March and early April planting and you’ll be able to enjoy your first harvest of peas, leafy greens and more by the end of April!

Check back next week to find out which companion flowers to plant with your vegetables for pollinators and to attract predatory insects that attack insect pests!

If you’d like help planning, designing and setting up your kitchen garden we would love to help you get started!