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In March, we still have night frosts (and even some day frosts), but that doesn’t mean that there is nothing to do in the garden. Quite the opposite! There are plenty of garden tasks in March that will set your garden up for success. From preparing raised beds to sowing early vegetables, this March gardening checklist will help you make the most of the season.
Overview of garden tasks in March 2026
Here’s a quick overview of the most important garden tasks in March, including when to do them and whether frost protection is needed.
| Garden Task | Best Time in March | Frost protection needed? | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seed-starting indoors | Any day this month | Yes - indoors only | High |
| Remove fir branches | Any dry day | No | Low |
| Remove mulch | Any warm day | No | High |
| Sprout potatoes | Anytime this month | Yes - indoors only | High |
| Force rhubarb (cover with bucket) | End of March | Yes | Optional |
| Air cold frames/greenhouse | On warm and sunny days | No | High |
| Fill up raised beds | When soil is no longer frozen and dry | No | Optional |
| Create new beds | When soil is no longer frozen and dry | No | Optional |
| Weeding | When soil is no longer frozen and dry | No | High |
| Plant strawberries | When soil is no longer frozen and dry | Yes | Optional |
| Sow/plant outdoors | When soil is no longer frozen and dry | Yes | High |
Let’s go through each of these garden tasks in March in detail so you know exactly what to do and when.
#1 Fill up raised beds
Raised beds are not only filled with soil but also layered with organic materials like twigs, leaves, and plant stems. When that material decomposes, it is reduced in volume, which makes it sink down.
Now that your raised beds are empty, it’s a good time to fill them up with humus and compost. Fill more than the surface level, ideally forming a little mound, as the soil will sink again during the next weeks.
#2 Create new beds
If you want to enlarge your garden space, now is a good time to create new beds. I love this method of creating new patches as it doesn’t require digging or other heavy work, is very quickly done and wonderfully effective.
#3 Sprout potatoes for a head start
It’s still too early to plant potatoes, but you can give them a headstart by sprouting them. Lay them out flatly on a surface where they get lots of light. I usually put the potatoes into egg cartons that I place on the windowsill. After some time, they grow little green sprouts.
#4 Airing cold frames and greenhouses
With more sun hours, temperatures rise quickly in cold frames and greenhouses. Increased temperatures lead to increased condensation, which can make our plants rot. Air your cold frames and greenhouse regularly to let the moisture get out.
Are you still dreaming of a greenhouse? Here is a complete guide on how to build a greenhouse from scratch without breaking the bank.
#5 Remove fir branches
If you had protected plants with fir branches against the cold, it’s now time to remove them. While they were great in winter, we now need lighter materials for coverage, like straw or a winter protection veil that lets the light through. Fir branches at this stage of the season are too dense and can even impair growth.
#6 Remove mulch
Mulch is not only a good protection against weeds, but it’s also a good insulator. On the downside, that means that it keeps the cold in the soil for longer than we want to. For that reason, it’s an important garden job in early spring to remove the mulch from our beds by raking it to the edges. That way, the soil can warm up quicker.
#7 Weeding
Even though we’ve covered the beds with mulch, there will still be some weeds. When we remove the mulch, it’s best to pull out the weeds that have grown underneath. Thankfully, they’ll come off easily.
Additionally, when the soil is bare and warms up, weeds will also start to grow. Pull them out soon before they get too large.
#8 Plant Strawberries
You can plant new strawberries now and protect them with a veil. If you have strawberries in your garden already, remove all wilted leaves now. They may be infected with diseases, and by removing them, you can prevent those from spreading.
#9 Force Rhubarb
Another garden task you can do in March is to put a bucket over your rhubarb to help it grow faster. The principle is that the early spring sun warms up the air and the soil underneath the bucket, which makes the rhubarb sprout faster. The lack of light doesn’t hamper that, but makes sure that the stalks become especially tender. With this method, rhubarb can be harvested about 4 – 6 weeks after covering.
#10 Seed-starting indoors
There’s quite a list of vegetables you can seed-start indoors in March. This blog post gives you a full overview of what plants you can sow in March.
At the same time, check the seedlings that you’ve started earlier in the year daily. Make sure the plants have enough water and are aired regularly so that excessive condensed moisture will not cause rotting.
#11 Sowing / planting outdoors
Admittedly, there are not many plants you can sow outdoors in March, but still, there are some. Here is an overview of vegetables that can be sown and planted outdoors now:
- Sweet peas
- Broad beans
- Spinach
- Lettuce
- Early carrots
- Garlic
You’ll find more details about which varieties to use and how to protect those early seedlings in this post about what to sow and plant in March.
Transplanted vegetables not only need protection against the cold but also against pests like snails and slugs, which are very hungry now. A slug fence or collar is a good physical barrier against our slimy fellow lodgers and hopefully will keep them at bay.
Be grateful for every little helper 😊.
For the last few months, we were reduced to dreaming up our vegetable gardens. Now is the time to take action! And although it may still be cold outside, we can start doing these garden tasks in March. Grab your gardening gloves, hop outside and get gardening!
Want more garden tips and tutorials?
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