What to Plant In March (By Planting Zone)

Wanting to get your gardening started but not sure what to plant in March? Get the answers you need below.

I live for spring gardening, and March is one of my favorite times of year.

The weather is starting to warm up  here in Texas, and we’re back out in the garden again. I for one, feel enthusiastic about the fresh start after a winter off, and probably far overestimate the volume of food I can grow in a single season. 

As enthusiastic as I am, one of my big drives this year is to constantly remind myself to focus less on how much food I can harvest and enjoy the process. I believe the pressure to “put up” (can or freeze) enough fruit and vegetables to last the entire year has contributed to the burn-out that led to my taking a gardening hiatus for 3-4 years after my daughter was born. 

To combat that, I’m limiting the number of varieties I grow, the space in which I’m growing them, and counting canning as a bonus rather than a necessity. Because the truth is, I really do enjoy these things, and I think I’m finally wising up to the fact that being overly busy isn’t a reason to give myself a pat on the back. 

Ultimately, this is why I’ve started gardening again – not to fill my schedule, but to force myself to slow down by doing something inherently slow, and enjoy the process, by making that something something I love – growing delicious food. And I’m really enjoying getting my garden ready for spring.

So, all that brings us to what to plant in March. 

Of course, that’s going to depend on your gardening hardiness zone. Living in zone 7b, I can’t wait to plant strawberries later this month, using our guide for Growing Strawberries In The South, and we’ve already got our onions, asparagus, and various greens in the ground. It’s an exciting time!

Below we have a list of what you can plant in March organized by zone, type (vegetable, herb, or fruit), and where (indoor, outdoor), but before we start, make sure to grab your gardening cheat sheets by filling out this form:

What to Plant In March

What To Plant in Zones 3-4 

Vegetables (sow indoors)

• Cabbage
• Brussels Sprouts
• Broccoli
• Kale
• Onions 
• Peppers
• Scallions 
• Tomatillos
• Tomatoes

Herbs (sow indoors)

• Basil
• Catnip
• Chives
• Cilantro
• Dill
• Fennel
• Lemon Balm
• Lemon Grass
• Marjoram
• Mint
• Oregano
• Parsley
• Rosemary
• Save
• Stevia
• Thyme

What To Plant in Zones 5-6

Vegetables

Sow Indoors: 

• Artichoke
• Asian Greens
• Broccoli
• Brussels Sprouts
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Eggplant
• Lettuce
• Onions (early March)
• Peppers
• Scallions
• Tomatillos 
• Tomatoes

Sow Outdoors:

• Asparagus
• Celery
• Onions (late March)
• Potatoes
• Rhubarb 
• Shallots

Herbs

Sow Indoors:

• Basil
• Catnip
• Chives
• Cilantro
• Coriander
• Dill
• Fennel
• Lavender
• Lemon Balm
• Lemon Grass
• Marjoram
• Mint
• Oregano
• Parsley
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Stevia
• Thyme

Fruit:

• Strawberry Plants

What To Plant in Zones 7-8 

*Varieties marked with an asterisk denote varieties that can be planted indoors by early march, and can start being planted outdoors in late march.

Vegetables

Sow Indoors:

• Artichoke (early March)
• Asian Greens
• Broccoli (early March)
• Brussels Sprouts*
• Cabbage*
• Cauliflower*
• Chinese Cabbage
• Kale*
• Radicchio*
• Spinach*
• Tomatoes (Early March)

Sow Outdoors:

• Asian Greens (Starting mid-March)
• Asparagus
• Broccoli (late March-April)
• Brussels Sprouts* 
• Cabbage*
• Cauliflower*
• Celery
• Horseradish
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Onions
• Potatoes
• Radicchio*
• Spinach*

Herbs

Sow Indoors first week of March:

• Basil
• Catnip
• Chive
• Cilantro
• Dill
• Lavender
• Lemon Balm
• Lemon Grass
• Oregano
• Parsley 
• Thyme

Fruit

Sow Outdoors:

• Blackberry Plants
• Blueberry Plants
• Currant
• Figs
• Fruit Trees
• Grapes
• Raspberry Plants
• Strawberry Plants

While You’re deciding what to plant in March, this is also the time to plan those projects and create an outline for the year by getting a good gardening planner.

As you can tell, we’ll be gearing up pretty quickly, planting a lot of vegetables and herbs here in the southern zones. It’s still early though, with lots of time for gardening projects like building self-watering garden beds, or gathering supplies to grow potatoes in containers.

Sources: Burpees Seeds, Farmer’s Almanac.