March 2024

 BED PREPARATION MARCH 27-APRIL 2

Prepare the garden bed where you plan to grow this crop so that it is ready to go when the time comes to seed or transplant into it.

• Clean out any vegetation (weeds, grass, old plants).

• Measure and mark out your bed (we like to use 30 inch wide beds and mark them out with string).

• Use a digging fork or broadfork to loosen the soil. Do not flip the soil over or try mixing it with the forks. Simply push the fork into the ground and pull it back lifting and loosening the soil without turning it. Be careful not to work wet soil, especially if it has clay in it. When it dries it will tend to have hard clods, making your gardening more difficult.

• Add compost and/or soil amendments (sprinkle them evenly over the bed and then mix them into the top few inches with a three tooth cultivator or similar tool). 

• Smooth the bed out with a rake 

MONTH: March	BED ONE NEAREST HOUSE ON LEFT, FACING HOUSE: FRUIT TAKES  PHOSPHORUS (NEXT YEAR BED 3)
SOWING INSIDE (Before LFD) March 6-12 (6 weeks) Black Beauty Eggplant California Wonder Pepper Jalapeno Pepper Heirloom Rainbow Blend Tomato Roma Tomato Mortgage Lifter Tomato Cherokee Purple Tomato
TRANSPLANTING (after planting) March 20-26 Lacinato Kale (35 days) Rainbow Swiss Chard (35 days) Lolla Rosa Lettuce (28 days) Parris Island Lettuce (28 days)	BED TWO BED 2: NEAREST HOUSE ON RIGHT, FACING HOUSE: ROOT TAKES POTASSIUM (NEXT YEAR BED ONE) DIRECT SOWING MARCH 20-26 Cylindra Red Beet (4 weeks) Little Finger Carrot (4 weeks) Imperator 58 Carrot (4 weeks) Snowball Turnip (4 weeks) MARCH 27-APRIL 2 Champion Radish (3 weeks)
DIRECT SOWING (Before LFD) DIRECT SOWING (Before LFD) March 20-26 Arugula (4 weeks)  Cylindra Red Beet (4 weeks) Little Finger Carrot (4 weeks) Imperator 58 Carrot (4 weeks) Viroflay Spinach (4 weeks)  Snowball Turnip (4 weeks) Peas (4 weeks) @20-26 March 27-April 2 Champion Radish (3 weeks) @27- APRIL 2	BED THREE BED 3: FARTHEST FROM THE HOUSE ON LEFT, FACING HOUSE: LEGUME LEAVES NITROGEN (NEXT YEAR BED FOUR) CULTIVATING  Peas
HARVEST	BED FOUR BED 4: FARTHEST FROM THE HOUSE ON RIGHT, FACING HOUSE: LEAF TAKES NITROGEN (NEXT YEAR BED TWO) DIRECT SEED MARCH 20-26 Arugula (4 weeks) Viroflay Spinach (4 weeks) TRANSPLANT MARCH 20-26 Lacinato Kale (35 days) Rainbow Swiss Chard (35 days) Lolla Rosa Lettuce (28 days) Parris Island Lettuce (28 days) Golden Acres Cabbage (35 days) ANY BED/N

Jalapeno Pepper

 

Jalapenos are the only pepper that isn’t allowed to fully ripen and change color before being picked.
Full sun and warm temperatures are also important when growing jalapeno peppers.

Jalapenos thrive in warm conditions and need temperatures between 65 and 80 F. (18-27 C.) to germinate. Temperature is critical, and unless it’s warm enough, pepper seeds won’t sprout and transplants won’t survive. It’s best to wait until at least two weeks after planting tomatoes to plant jalapeno peppers in the garden. In contrast, jalapeno pepper plants will not produce an abundance of fruit when the temperature is over 90 F.

Although jalapeno plant care isn’t difficult, plants must be kept watered during hot, dry spells. It’s best to avoid getting water on the fruit

California Wonder Pepper

 

California Wonder is a sweet bell pepper can be planted as soon as night temperatures reach about 60 degrees. Place these peppers in full sun, or a spot that gets at least 6 hours of sun a day in spring and summer. Bell peppers do not grow well indoors because they need so much sun and heat. California Wonder Peppers like fertile soil that drains well, so loosen up dirt down to at least 8 inches before planting. Space California Wonder plants at least 18 inches apart. The plants grow to almost 2 feet high.
You can grow bell peppers in containers, but the pot needs to be large enough to support the plant. This means about 24 inches around at the mouth of the container and at least 18 inches deep. Use a high-quality potting mix and add some compost to improve nutrients and drainage. Place the container in full sun.

Soil Preparation for Fruiting Crops

I plan to divide the crops into the four beds according to what type of plant they are and what their needs are. One bed, for example, will have all the fruiting vegetables in it. Fruiting vegetables are those vegetables that produce edible fruits after flowering. such as National Pickling Cucumber, Black Beauty Eggplant, Hearts of Gold Melon, Emerald Okra, California Wonder Pepper, Jalapeno Pepper, Small Sugar Pumpkin, Butternut Winter Squash, Heirloom Rainbow Blend Tomato, Roma Tomato, Crimson Sweet Watermelon, Black Beauty Zucchini and Waltham 29 Broccoli differ among themselves in appearance as well as in taste. However, they also have certain things in common. For one thing, they all love fertile soil which is rich in organic matter and has lots of nutrient called phosphorus in it, as the lack of it can be the cause for plants not flowering.

Fruiting vegetables need a balanced fertilizer. A fertilizer bag will be labeled with a combination of numbers such as 3-4-4 or 8-24-8, or 12-12-12. These three numbers refer to the three most important nutrients plants need: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K). There may also be other nutrients, including calcium, magnesium, iron, and manganese.

Nitrogen (N) mainly affects vegetative growth and general health. Chlorophyll, the green substance in plants responsible for photosynthesis, is largely composed of nitrogen. It is also used heavily in new shoots, buds, and leaves. Nitrogen can be applied organically in many ways as well, including blood meal, feather meal, and Fish Fertilizer. Keep in mind that many organic dry fertilizers are slow-release, helping the long-term nitrogen content and building up organic matter in the soil. Nitrogen deficiency is recognized by the yellowing of older leaves, slowing or stopping of growth. Leaves may drop sooner than expected. Excess nitrogen is recognized by extremely fast growth, resulting in long, spindly, weak shoots with dark green leaves.
Because nitrogen promotes leafy growth, too much nitrogen late in the season can minimize or delay fruiting.
Nitrogen is considered to be mobile in the soil, meaning that it moves with water, so it’s best to apply nitrogen when plants will be ready to use it. Apply nitrogen immediately before or after planting annual crops or following green-up for perennial crops.
If you have sandy soil, consider using more frequent applications of nitrogen but using a lower application rate.

Phosphorus (P) is important for healthy roots and is used more heavily during blooming and seed sets. Phosphorus is easily rendered unavailable to plants when the pH is slightly unbalanced. It is released in the soil through decomposing organic matter. Phosphorus deficiency is recognized by dull green leaves and purplish stems. The plant is generally unhealthy, sometimes yellowing. Lack of blooming with lush green foliage may also indicate a lack of phosphorus. Organic phosphorus can be found in rock phosphate, bone meal, and various liquid organic fertilizers such as Neptune’s Harvest Fish & Seaweed.

Potassium (K), sometimes known as potash, is important for general health of plants. It is key in the formation of chlorophyll and other plant compounds. Potassium is also known to help with disease resistance. Potassium deficiency is hard to symptomize, but plants are generally sickly, with small fruit, yellowing from the older leaves upwards, and sickly blooms. Potassium can be found in potash. Among other things, phosphorus supports root growth and fruiting, while potassium supports disease resistance and plant hardiness.

Phosphorus and potassium are not mobile in the soil and need close contact with plant roots in order to be taken up. They should be applied and incorporated prior to planting, either in spring or fall.
Other macronutrients include sulfur, calcium, and magnesium.

Plant Growth Stages

Besides studying abnormal appearances, you can learn whether or not to give specific nutrients to a plant depending on what stage of growth it is in, and even what variety or species of plant it is.

• Young Growth Nitrogen is especially helpful to give, though adequate levels of all nutrients are critical at this phase.
• Newly Transplanted Will benefit especially from higher amounts of root-supporting nutrients, like phosphorus and potassium.
• Blossoming Benefits from phosphorus, potassium, and calcium in particular.
• Fruiting It’s important to include decent amounts of phosphorus and potassium, while not overdoing it with nitrogen. 
• To start your garden, use a general vegetable fertilizer. For vegetables, we use herb and vegetable plant food with a 3-4-4 number. For tomatoes, we use a separate fertilize with a 3-4-6 ration which also contains calcium to help prevent blossom-end ro

Heavy feeders are those that have higher nutrient needs. Oftentimes, these vegetables take longer to reach maturity and are those that we plant after the temperatures warm up. Examples of heavy feeders are Eggplants, Broccoli, Cabbage, Sweet and Hot Peppers, Cucumber, Leek, Pumpkin, Tomato, Melon, Watermelon, Basil, and Zucchini.

Medium feeders, as the name suggests, require lower amounts of nutrients throughout the growing season than heavy feeders.  In a crop rotation schedule, this group of plants usually follows heavy feeders. It is a good idea to amend your soil before planting with a long-lasting organic fertilizer. When fertilizing medium feeder plants, a smaller amount of fertilizer is required compared to what is needed by heavy feeders. Okra is an example of a medium feeder.

Light feeders are plants that can usually thrive in poor soils with low levels of nutrients. Legumes are all nitrogen fixers, so they usually increase the nitrogen levels in the soil throughout the growing season. Plants that are light feeders are usually last in the crop rotation cycle. Beans and peas, as well as many herbs are examples of light feeders.

On The Windowsill March 25

Eggplant, Tomato, Lettuces, Sweet Bell Peppers, and Kohlrabi and Kale seedlings are growing.

March Zone 7

Bed 1							Bed 2
1  ft.			1 ft.				1 ft.	1 ft.
Kale						1	Kale
Spinach						2	Spinach
Peas						3	Swiss Chard	Peas
						4
						5	Tatsoi
						6	Kohl rabi
Bed 3							Bed 4
						1	Kohlrabi	Peas
						2	Tatsoi
						3	Red Mustard
						4
Radishes						5 Trellis		Radish and Carrots
						6 Trellis

Overview

In zone 7, if you are growing corn, March is the month to plant it.

What does the Windowsill look like in March?

Sweet Bell Peppers, Eggplant, Tomato, Lettuces, Rainbow Chard and Kohlrabi seedlings are growing.

What do the garden beds look like in March?

Start Off- Direct Sow

Continue to succession sow (16) Radish, Cherry Belle and/or (16) Radish, White Icicle in section 6 of beds three and four, and Direct sow (32) Carrots, Scarlet Nantes in with the radishes in bed 4.

Direct sow (9) Pea, Oregon Giant Snow near a pea trellis.

Direct sow (16) Mustard, Tatsoi in 1/2 row 2 in bed 4

Direct sow Mustard, Red Giant in 1/2 rows 3 and 4 of bed 4

Direct sow (9) Spinach, American and (9) Spinach, Bloomsdale in row 2 of beds 1 and 2.

Start Off- Transplant

Transplant (18) Kohlrabi, White and Purple Vienna in row 1, bed 4

Transplant Kale, Blue Curled Scotch,  and Kale, Red Russian in betwen the kale that were direct sown last month.

 

March 5, 2023

Yo Lo Wonder Sweet Bell Peppers

Sow Indoors

When seedlings appear, remove the two weakest seedlings, leaving the strong to keep growing. 

Blue Curly Leaf Kale and Red Russian Kale

Transplant

Kale seedlings should be making good progress. Water twice a week to keep the soil moist.

Rainbow Swiss Chard

Sow Indoors

Rainbow Swiss Chard can be sown indoors in peat pots, hardening them off before planting in the bed.

American, Bloomsdale and Viroflay Spinach

Direct Sow

This is a fast growing hardy crop that likes cooler temperatures. You can pick them when young for baby spinach which is great in salads. Two rows should fit in a 1-foot section. You may sow the seeds directly in the bed or in pots on the windowsill to be planted out in 3-4 weeks when there is room. Either way, seeds need to be planted 1 inch deep, about 1 seed every ½ inch. Cover seeds lightly and water thoroughly.

Purple and White Vienna Kohlrabi

Sow Indoors

Sow seeds indoors, one seed per module as they have an excellent germination rate.

Sow ½ inch deep, cover with soil and water. The seedlings will be ready to transplant in four weeks.

Peas

Direct Sow

There are three main types of peas but they are all grown in the same way. Shelling peas are what are packed in canned peas and need to be taken out of their pods before eating. Snow peas (called mangetout by the English), on the other hand, have pods which are eaten whole and are flat because they are harvested before the peas inside have grown plump. Sugar Snap peas also have edible pods but with fat peas inside. Peas are fairly easy to grow but they need supports and moist soil to produce a good crop. Dwarf pea varieties are best for raised beds as they require less space. Peas don’t like their roots disturbed, and so for that reason are often directly sown in the garden bed, but some have been able to grow peas in rain gutters or in deep peat pots and then transferred out into the garden without much disturbance to their roots. If grown indoors, keep them on the windowsill until they reach 3-4 inches tall and turn them once a day to prevent them from leaning towards the light as they are growing. Be careful not to let the seedlings dry out.

SOWING PEAS IN A RAIN GUTTER

Since I grow rows of peas in an 2-foot-wide raised bed, I can sow peas in two-foot sections of vinyl rain gutters that can be reused from old gutters or bought from a local home center. Cut the gutter into sections that fit your garden bed. It’s possible to purchase end caps for them, but you can make temporary ends with cardboard, taping them in place. After filling the gutters with pre-moistened seed-starting mix, plant the peas in the gutters at the beginning of March in a double row of seeds in each one with a goal of getting a thick stand of seedlings. The seeds germinate quickly. Frequently monitor the moisture in the seed-starting mix so it doesn’t dry out. Allow the seedlings to develop a thick mat of roots, which takes a good three weeks. As soon after this point, and it is warm enough to plant outside, the hardening-off process can begin. This involves putting them outside where you plan to plant them for an hour the first day, then moving them back indoors. On the second day, they are outside for two hours. Keep increasing the time until you can plant them in the garden.

March 13, 2023

Nantes Carrots

Direct Sow

Sow carrots thinly in a shallow trench of about ¼ inch. Drop seeds about ½ inch apart to avoid having to thin later.Gently cover with soil and water with a fine mist to avoid sending seeds everywhere. Germination can take up to three weeks, but continue to keep well watered.

March 17, 2023

Lettuce

Indoor Sow

To get a head start, start seeds indoors about 1 month before the last spring frost date (which for zone 7 is April 17).

Giant Red Mustard Greens

Direct Sow

Giant Red Mustard has purple-red leaves with a delicious, strong, sharp, almost garlic-like, mustard flavor. The leaves are tasty stir-fried or boiled and is a great pickling variety. Because Giant Red Mustard is another leafy green vegetable in the mustard family, it prefers cooler seasons, and can even tolerate light frosts. It prefers 6 hours of sun however it is more tolerant of shade than fruiting vegetables like tomatoes. It will grow well in most soils, but will produce best in rich, well-drained, loose soil with a pH of no less than 6.0. 

Sow mustard seeds ¾ inch deep and 1 ½ inches apart. Mustard seeds generally take eight to ten days to germinate. They can be thinned as needed to give the plants room to grow.

Tatsoi

Direct Sow or Indoor Sow

This Asian Mustard is a fast growing cool weather loving plant. They do not like root disturbance during transplanting so you will need to sow them in biodegradable pots. The seeds should be planted about ½ deep in moist compost, about 2 per pot. They should germinate in one to two weeks.

March 25, 2021

Radish

Harvest

Radishes are the first crop to be harvested this year. Pull aside the leaves and check the size of the radish roots. If they are about 2 inches wide, they are ready to harvest. Gently pull the base of the leaves and pull the root out. Go down the row in this manner and you will be thinning them, allowing the smaller radishes to have more room to grow.

Two weeks after that, the first row should be harvested and can be re-sown. This can be a continuous succession sowing until the weather gets too hot for the radishes to thrive.