What to Do in the Garden in March (UK)

Sow and plant

• Make the first outdoor sowings as the soil warms: cabbages, broccoli, cauliflowers, kale, corn salad, land cress, peas, broad beans, maincrop onions, parsnips and turnips.
• Plant onion, shallot and garlic sets, and Jerusalem artichoke tubers.
• Sow sweet peas outside this month; sow summer bedding in a heated propagator or under glass (direct outside only in mild areas).
• Plant herbaceous perennials such as hardy geraniums, astrantias and Oriental poppies — early spring is an ideal time.
• Last chance to plant bare-root fruit trees; potted soft fruit such as currants, gooseberries and raspberries can be planted now.

Prune and tidy

• Last chance to prune apples and pears before the buds burst.
• Remove dirt and algae from walls, paving and patios, and re-surface paths before plants encroach.
• Last chance to build living-stem structures such as willow fences and arbours.

Lawn and general care

• Keep hoeing and hand-weeding as weeds begin to grow with the warming soil.
• Prepare seed beds for the main April sowings, covering with cloches or fleece where soil is still cold.

Regional adjustment

The RHS advises that spring sowing can begin earlier in milder gardens of the south and west, and later in colder northern gardens. If your soil is still cold and wet in March, wait — timing by soil condition beats timing by calendar.

Sources

Reviewed 2026-07-18. We cite university Extension, government, and established horticultural sources — and never invent pesticide rates or dangerous treatments.

• RHS — Gardening in March: jobs to do this month — Last chance to prune apples and pears and to plant bare-root fruit trees; first outdoor vegetable sowings; onion, shallot and garlic sets; sweet peas outside; perennial planting; path and patio care.
• RHS — Grow Your Own: jobs to do in March — March vegetable sowing and planting list for UK gardens.
• RHS — Hardy annuals: sowing in spring — In milder gardens of the south and west sowing may begin earlier; in colder northern gardens sowing may be later.

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