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Monthly planting guide

What to plant in March

Computed from this directory's own crop-rules table and each zone band's real median frost dates or monthly temperatures, for the 15th of March. A single national list would be wrong for most readers: March means a different planting stage in a cold-winter zone than it does in a hot, frost-rare one. Every crop name below links to that crop's own sourced guide.

Planting windows and crop timing here are computed from USDA/NOAA climate data and the university extension sources cited below, not a site visit or soil test. Treat this as a starting point: local conditions vary, and a local nursery or extension office can advise on your exact site. See our full Disclaimer.

Zones 1-5 (cold winters)

Fort Plain, NY · Zone 5b

Start indoors

Bachelor's Button (Cornflower) , Basil , Bell Pepper , Calendula , Cleome (Spider Flower) , Eggplant , Marjoram , Parsley

Zones 6-7 (temperate)

McMinnville, TN · Zone 7b

Direct-sow

Beets , Carrots , Cilantro , Dill , Garden Peas , Kohlrabi , Lettuce , Mustard Greens , Nasturtium , Onion (bulb) , Parsnip , Potato , Radish , Rutabaga , Spinach , Swiss Chard , Turnip

Transplant outside

Artichoke , Broccoli , Cabbage , Celery , Leek

Zones 8-9 (warm)

Apopka, FL · Zone 9b

Direct-sow

Basil , Cilantro , Cucumber , Dill , Lima Beans , Okra , Pumpkin , Summer Squash , Zucchini

Transplant outside

Bell Pepper , Cantaloupe / Muskmelon , Cucumber , Eggplant , Summer Squash , Sweet Potato , Tomato , Watermelon , Winter Squash (Butternut) , Zucchini

Zones 10-13 (hot, frost rare or absent)

Loxahatchee, FL · Zone 10b

Frost is rare or absent here; timing follows temperature, not frost dates.

Cool-season crops

Apple (bare-root fruit tree) , Apricot (bare-root fruit tree) , Asparagus , Bachelor's Button (Cornflower) , Bare-root rose , Beets , Blackberry , Blueberry , Bok Choy , Broccoli , Brussels Sprouts , Cabbage , Calendula , Carrots , Catnip/Catmint , Cauliflower , Celery , Cherry (sweet/tart, bare-root fruit tree) , Chives , Cilantro , Collards , Currant , Deciduous shade tree (generic, e.g. maple/oak, bare-root or B&B) , Dill , Elderberry , Evergreen shrub (B&B/potted, e.g. arborvitae, boxwood) , Fennel (Bulb/Florence) , Flowering deciduous shrub (generic, e.g. lilac/forsythia) , Garden Peas , Garlic , Gooseberry , Kale , Kohlrabi , Larkspur , Lavender , Leek , Lettuce , Mint , Mustard Greens , Nasturtium , Onion (bulb) , Oregano , Parsley , Parsnip , Peach (bare-root fruit tree) , Pear (bare-root fruit tree) , Petunia , Plum (bare-root fruit tree) , Potato , Radish , Raspberry , Rhubarb , Rutabaga , Sage , Snapdragon , Snow Peas , Spinach , Strawberry , Sweet Alyssum , Sweet Pea , Swiss Chard , Table/Bunch Grape , Tarragon , Thyme , Turnip

Warm-season crops

Artichoke , Arugula , Basil , Bell Pepper , Cantaloupe / Muskmelon , Cleome (Spider Flower) , Cosmos , Cucumber , Eggplant , Fig , Four O'Clock , Lemongrass , Lima Beans , Marigold , Marjoram , Morning Glory , Okra , Pole Beans , Pumpkin , Rosemary , Snap Beans (Bush) , Summer Squash , Sunflower , Sweet Corn , Sweet Potato , Tomato , Watermelon , Winter Squash (Butternut) , Zinnia , Zucchini

March is the month the cold band starts seeding indoors in earnest, the temperate band starts direct-sowing outdoors, and the warm band is already past its own last frost.

About seven weeks out from the cold band's own May 6 last frost; indoor seed-starting for spring transplants opens wide here.

Roughly three weeks before the temperate band's own April 7 last frost. Direct-sowing opens for the crops in this band's hardy and semi-hardy classes, the ones that tolerate real frost and don't need to wait for it to pass.

About three weeks past the warm band's own last frost of February 24. The direct-sow and transplant lists above hold steady from February because these crops work against a fixed distance from that same date, not against the calendar month.

March's own average in the hot band is about 68.8°F (NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals), still under this table's 75°F cool-season ceiling, so both lists above hold steady too.

Enter your ZIP for your own exact dates rather than these four representative bands.

Nurseries near these locations

Sources

Full per-crop citations are on each crop's own guide page, linked above. Institutions cited across this page: