Next to October, March is our busiest month in San Diego gardens. It’s a good time to plant. We can also start winter clean up and get ready for warmer weather.
Plant
You still have time to plant some cool season vegetables that will mature before the weather gets too hot. Plus, you can start your warm season veggies this month too. Most warm season seeds should be started indoors in containers, but you can plant beets, parsley, radishes and cilantro outdoors. Add annuals that can take summer’s heat like sunflowers, zinnias and cosmos to your indoor containers.
Perennials like alstroemeria, verbena, coreopsis, lavenders, sages, penstemons, kangaroo paws and asters should be started now too. Some California natives you can put in your garden now are lemonadeberry, monkey flower and Tecate cypress.
Harvest Time in San Diego Vegetable Gardens
Winter vegetables you started in fall or early winter are now ready for harvest. Check cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and spinach. If cabbages are still soft, don’t cut them just yet. Wait until they are rock-hard. You can harvest whole heads of lettuce or just cut the mature leaves so you can continue to harvest for weeks.
Trim
Once we’re past the chance of freezing temperatures, which is now in most San Diego gardens, it’s time to prune off any frost damaged branches. Check damaged areas for new growth first though since some frost damage is only superficial, and the plant will still leaf out if damage wasn’t that severe.
It may also be time to trim Mexican sage, penstemon, Verbena bonariensis and Artemisia. Look for new growth at the base of the plant. If it’s 6 to 8 inches tall, remove old growth that is dry or damaged.
San Diego Gardens Tips Source
A lot of information for San Diego Gardens comes from the Master Gardener Association of San Diego County. They are a great resource for all of your gardening needs including planting, pests, vegetables, and water use. They even have a free hotline where you can get your home gardening and pest control problems answered.