A Wild Child Garden in March

March in the Wild Child Garden is my favorite month ever!  I know it seems like I am always saying that, but for real this time! March is my favorite!!  Do you know why?  Because in the WIld Child Garden we are PLANTING!!  I know, I know,  ya'll are going to email me and tell me that it's too early!  But, I'm doing it, and you should do it too!  The WIld Child Garden Club is full of "gamblers" just like me! Ya'll know what Kenny Rogers said, "you got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em. Know when to walk away, know when to run." And we are running...right to the nursery or to our greenhouse and we are PLANTING!  When we make this decision we know that we may end up covering our garden one more time, but the risk is so worth it!  I don't know about you, but I would much rather deal with one chilly night than a summer of pests.  If you don't know how the two relate, we need to talk!  Let's get to it!!

Veggies To Plant In March 

What veggies can be planted in March?  The short answer to this question is ALL WARM SEASON VEGGIES!  In my garden this month I plan to plant squash, zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, beans, and corn (and maybe a few melons).   And I can't wait!  The spring vegetable I get asked about the most is by far the tomato, everyone in the south is anxious to eat that first tomato sandwich of the season, and the key to that is to plant early!  If you wait to plant your tomatoes until the pecan trees bud, you are going to get more pests, more disease, more weeds, and LESS HARVEST!!    If you aren't convinced yet, take a look at one of my very favorite courses The Tomato Growers Playbook (free with Wild Child Garden Club Membership).  I will teach you everything you need to know to have a successful season of harvesting more tomatoes than you will be able to eat!  After all, one of my garden goals for Spring, and one I always recommend to the gardeners I coach, is always to grow enough tomatoes to eat a tomato sandwich every day! That is my kind of season!  The key to this is planting the right varieties at the right time.  Want to know some of my favorite varieties? CLICK HERE to download my newly updated Wild Child Garden Guide. It  is full of all of my favorite varieties and some tricks to successfully grow them.  

While tomatoes seem to be the gauge as to whether or not you have had a successful garden season, beating the squash vine borer and harvesting a beautiful collection of squash is a close second!  Beating the borer is one of the main reasons that I will always at least plant a round of early squash!!  Planting early is the best way to enjoy that harvest before the dreaded pests of summer arrive!   You cannot beat the borer when you procrastinate planting.  It just doesn't work!  So plant early with me this month!

One more veggie that is a must plant early this month is corn!!  Plant your corn NOW and get great results. Procrastinate your planting and you'll get all those pesky worms, half formed ears, and have to fight the heat.  No thank you!!   That is now wild child gardening!  Instead, plant your corn now, and harvest in May!! Jackpot!  And guess what?? You can even plant your corn in grow bags!! YES!!!  Is all of your garden space accounted for?? Good job!!  Now start creating new growing space with grow bags.  You can download my garden plans for corn here, which include a plan for corn in a raised bed and in a grow bag.  Growing corn has never been easier!!  

Herbs To Plant In March

The month of March is also the perfect month to get those warm season herbs in the ground: basil, oregano, thyme, lemon balm, mint, and lavender just to name a few! If you have been around for a while you will remember that while we LOVE these herbs for cooking, we also love to have these herbs in the garden for their beauty!  No Wild Child Garden will be complete without these sweet smelling herbs.  They are so versatile, from cooking to flower arranging, you will not be disappointed!  Don't be afraid to branch out and try some different varieties when you are shopping!  Basil for example has over 100 different varieties, and they are all equally yummy and beautiful!  Plus these herbs offer a wonderful added layer of protection against some of those nasty garden pests that you will begin to see as the weather warms up, and these herbs will bring in the pollinators as they begin to flower!  You cannot lose when you add herbs!!  Not sure how to do this?? Grab my FREE class Wild Child Companion Planting and I will show you how to maximize your growing space using more veggies, more herbs, and more flowers!

Fruit To Plant In March 

You have a few options for fruit to plant this month.  You can direct seed cantaloupe, honey dew, and watermelon this month, but just remember that they may not really take off until the warmer weather really arrives.  But I have a hack for you!  Use THESE garden cloches to create little dome greenhouses for your newly sprouted seedlings. It will keep the soil warm and the air humid, just how melons like it!!  You can also use milk jugs too! Just cut the bottom off and place them right on top of the soil where you plant your seed!  It is a wild child hack that you will never not use again!

Don't forget to purchase blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and citrus at the nursery this month. But before you run out and buy all of the fruit trees be sure to check out my course Fruit Growing Essentials! (Free with Garden Club Membership). I will show you how to grow our favorite fruits, and you will be set up for success this season!! Fruit can be confusing.  I will decode it all for you inside this course.  There are 5 teaching videos for strawberries, blueberries, citrus, figs, and muscadines. Those are my favorite "must grow" backyard fruits to grow.  In addition, the course also includes my e-book Fruit Growing Essentials for the Backyard Wild Child.  This e-book will show you how to plant, grow, feed, prune, and harvest.  It has all of the best varieties for zone 9 gardens, and so much more!!

Flowers To Plant In March

I know I say this every month but no Wild Child Garden would be complete without flowers, and in the Garden Club we talk a lot about all of the best flowers to grow right there with your Spring vegetables!  This month as we start transitioning our gardens from winter to spring you may notice a little bit of a combinations of flowers, for example in my garden you will still see a few snapdragons hanging around from the cool season, but you will also see marigolds, calendula, and you may even see a few zinnias sprouting!  If you are not sure how to go about adding flowers to your vegetable garden check out my course The Art of Growing Flowers in the Vegetable Garden (Free with Garden Club Membership).  In this class, I will teach you how to incorporate all of these beautiful flowers that I mentioned right into the space you already have! This course will also give you some tips on how to cut and share these beauties! AND, you will receive my Year Round Flower Schedule to show you exactly what to plant in every month of the year (seeds to start indoors, seeds to direct sow, and seedlings to transplant). It is garden gold!!

Now, if you still aren’t sure where to start in creating your own stunning backyard garden this month we are offering a brand new course called Raised Bed Gardening, and it is FREE!  Don’t miss out on this amazing course, that will give you all the encouragement to get started in your very own Wild Child Garden!   Join this on-demand course HERE.   You will never look at your garden the same!!

Still not sure you are a "garden gambler"??   That's ok, remember you have plenty of time to plant your spring garden, and I have everything you will want to plan this month HERE, but maybe just plant a couple tomatoes and squash as an experiment, just be sure to thank me when you are eating tomato sandwiches before all your garden friends!