Monty Don has warned anyone gearing up to plant seeds after the cold winter months never to sow them below a specific temperature.
March is sure to be a busy month for both well-versed and aspiring gardeners across the country as the UK slowly approaches spring after the long but ultimately quite colder months.
It would appear that TV favourite Monty Don is fully prepared for the looming season, particularly as filming for BBC Gardeners’ World is due to start back up in the same month.
In a recent piece for BBC Gardeners’ World magazine, Monty has turned his attention to March sowing, offering us some crucial advice as we prepare to pull on our wellington boots and tackle our outdoor spaces.
In a segment titled ‘What to sow from March’, the gardener explained: “When sowing outdoors, check the soil temperature first to make sure it’s warm enough to sow – it should feel warm on the back of your hand.”
He continued: “It needs to be at least 7°C. Look for weed seedlings growing – this is a good sign that the soil is warm enough.”
Monty then outlined where various plants should be sown, revealing that things like legumes, roots, salads, brassicas, leaf crops, and alliums should be sown outdoors.
Meanwhile, he explained that certain plants should be grown indoors with both heat and protection, including tender veg, roots and stems, cucurbits, pods and cobs.
In addition to sowing seeds, there are other jobs that gardeners need to think about doing in March, including pruning freshly planted fruit trees (if it’s dry) and blueberries, according to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).
It also advised people to untie blackberry canes and any hybrid berries that have been bundled before training them into arches, but warned you to not prune grape vines after late winter.
March is also a time to protect seeds from slugs and brassicas from pigeons. The RHS suggested watching out for grey mould and brassica downy mildew, as well as tackling any weeds that are impacting your seedlings.
Last year, Monty took to his blog to warn people not to perform one specific job in March, saying: “Do not cut back, tie or tidy the leaves of any bulbs but let them die back naturally as next year’s flower is being created by the photosynthesis of the foliage.
“Leave them until the last trace of green has gone – which will be at least June – and then tidy them or cut back.”
You can learn more about March gardening jobs via the RHS website here.
