Preparing for a Blooming Good Spring
7 Garden Tasks for March
March is here, and with it comes the excitement of new growth and warmer days. After months of winter dormancy, there’s finally a shift in the air. It's the perfect month to roll up your sleeves, dust off your tools, and get the garden ready for a stunning spring and fruitful summer.
I won’t lie - gardening isn’t naturally my strong suit. My dad was an incredible gardener, and my sister seems to have inherited his green fingers, effortlessly bringing plants to life. Me? Well, I’m still figuring things out as I go. But that’s part of the fun, right? That said, I do get a little disheartened when things don’t quite go to plan.
This year, though, feels extra special because I’ll be sharing the journey with you! If you’re new to gardening or just fancy joining in for some garden updates, I’d love for you to come along.
So, let’s get stuck in and talk about how I’m kicking off this year’s blooming good sunny season! 🌿🌸
1. Spring Cleaning
The first order of business is a good garden tidy. I plan to remove dead leaves, fallen branches, and any debris that’s accumulated over winter. Clearing out weeds now will hopefully save me a headache later, as they’ll soon take off with the warmer weather. This year, I’ll try to contain a section for the nettles as I’d like to continue making nettle tea - it’s quite delicious.
One thing I really need to get a grip on is our compost pile. At the moment, it’s a bit of a free-for-all—tucked away behind the bushes, but I know it’s there and it drives me mad. And I’m pretty certain a few creatures have made themselves at home in it too!
Ideally, I’d like to box it in using pallets to keep things neat and contained, but we’ll see how that plan unfolds. First things first, though - I need to give it a good turn and see if there’s any lovely, rich compost hiding underneath. Surely, after all this time, there must be something usable for the veg beds? Fingers crossed!
2. Soil Check
After winter, soil can become compacted. I will take my time to loosen it up with a fork, being careful not to damage roots. This seems like a great time to mix in some of the well-rotted compost I mentioned earlier to improve soil fertility.
I’ve been advised to test the pH of my soil. Is this something you do, and is it actually worth the effort? From what I’ve been told, adding lime can help if the soil is too acidic, while sulphur can bring down alkalinity.
If it means better crops (even if most of them end up as a feast for the local wildlife before I get a look in), then I’m happy to give it a go! Let me know - do you test your soil, and has it made a difference to your garden?
3. The One Gardening Job I Always Forget... But It Seems to Work!
I’ll admit it - I’m terrible at remembering to prune! I always seem to leave the plants to fend for themselves over winter, but funnily enough, it’s worked out pretty well for me. In fact, I’ve found they tend to survive better that way.
That said, now’s the time to give everything a bit of a spruce-up. I actually remembered to prune the roses before winter set in, and they’re already showing signs of life - so maybe I’m learning better ways after all!
Are you on top of your pruning, or do you let nature take its course like I do? 🌿✂️🌹
4. Sowing Seeds
March is the perfect time to start sowing seeds indoors or in a greenhouse, and I’ve got plenty to get started with! For my birthday, my sister gave me the most thoughtful gift - a folder packed with seeds to plant each month. Such a brilliant idea for anyone into gardening or looking to try out different varieties of plants.
She also got me a pop-up greenhouse for Christmas, which I plan to put up next weekend. I held off after the whole polytunnel drama, but it’s time to take the plunge. Fingers crossed it holds up!
Over in the veg beds, I’ll be starting off some tomato seeds and maybe some spinach to see how they do. I’m not sure if last year’s plants will make a comeback - if anyone knows, I’d love some advice!
Note to self: Label the seeds! It’s surprisingly easy to forget what’s what—especially for someone like me. 🌱🌿✨
5. The Love-Hate Relationship with Our Lawn
It will soon be time for the first mow - oh, how I hate our lawn! There’s just so much of it surrounding our cottage that mowing becomes a full-day event - not for me, mind you. I simply watch as my other half hops onto the ride-on mower and spends hours cutting, trimming, and battling the never-ending molehills. If he’s not carefully edging around fences, outbuildings, and my veg beds, he’s usually yelling at me to move before a stray stone launches itself in my direction. Honestly, I’m amazed we’ve made it four years without a window smashing! But credit where it’s due - he’s a perfectionist and meticulously clears every last pebble before setting off. It’s painstaking work, but when it’s done, it does look beautiful.
We try and keep mowing to a minimum as a way to help the wildlife, but on the occasion we do cut the grass, it all goes straight onto the compost pile, though we always keep a little back for the hens - they absolutely love rummaging through it.
That said, the lawn isn’t just a chore; it’s a challenge. It’s uneven, bouncy, and I’m convinced it’s practically hollow underneath, thanks to the rabbits and their sprawling underground mansion. But I can’t be mad at them - seeing the wild rabbits in spring with their babies is the cutest thing. I always wanted a pet rabbit while I was growing up. Now, I get to enjoy them without the responsibility - it’s perfect!
6. Welcoming Wildlife
Spring brings beneficial insects and wildlife back into the garden, and I can’t wait! This month, I’ll be cleaning out the bird boxes and feeders, making sure everything is ready for our feathered visitors. I’ll also be planting plenty of pollinator-friendly flowers to keep the bees and butterflies happy. I always like to leave the garden borders a little wild too - it gives insects a safe place to shelter and thrive.
One job on my list is dusting off the housing estate the swallows built last year. They’ll be back soon, and I hope they make use of one of the three nests they painstakingly built rather than starting from scratch again! I’m also crossing my fingers that the blue tits return to their usual spot in the gatepost.
Despite having bird boxes dotted around the garden, they don’t seem to get much interest - just like the hedgehog house, which has remained stubbornly unoccupied. Maybe this will be the year a little resident moves in… here’s hoping! 🐦🌿🐝
7. Dreaming Up This Year’s Garden Plans
I’m setting aside some time to dream up my garden goals for the year. I’m thinking of sketching out planting plans and working out a bit of crop rotation for the veg beds. There’s also the tempting idea of adding a new feature - maybe a wildlife pond or a herb spiral? We’ll see where the inspiration takes me!
One thing I’m doing this year is keeping a garden journal. I think it’ll be a great way to track what works, what doesn’t, and help shape my plans going forward. I’ll be sharing my ideas as they take shape, and we can figure out together what’s worth doing and what’s best left as just a nice idea!
Do you set garden goals for the year? Let me know what you’re planning! 🌱📖✨
March is such a hopeful month - everything is poised for growth. Enjoy the moments of peace as you dig, prune, and plant. There’s nothing quite like that first warm day in the garden, with the promise of blooms and fresh produce just around the corner.
Happy gardening, and may your March be filled with green shoots and sunshine!
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Catch up on my last post…
The Delightful World of a Chaffinch
That’s a strange-looking robin, I thought to myself when I first spotted a chaffinch. To be fair, my bird knowledge was fairly appalling. Before moving here, my avian encounters had been limited to the most common garden regulars: robins, pigeons, blackbirds, and the occasional jackdaw that liked to nest in our chimney.
Hey, I’d love to stay connected with you! If you enjoy what I share here, you’ll find even more everyday moments, creative snapshots, and heartfelt musings over on my Instagram.
It’s where I share little bits of life, inspiration, and things that make me smile — and I’d love for you to be part of it.
Looking forward to connecting with you there! Take care and see you soon! 🫶✨
Last year I did a sowing calendar for the year, I spent so much time planning everything out. But then I ended up just doing what i felt like in the moment. So yeah... A plan is good if you can stick to it 😅
Like yourself I’m tidying up my garden after a a very tough winter here in Central Texas. Getting a head start on the weeds just starting to make an appearance seems to be helping. I find things get too woody looking if I don’t prune back to encourage new growth all over and not just at the top of the plants. I have a native pollinator garden for our bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. I find that native plants are much easier to care for. Happy gardening!