What to do in the garden in March

March is such an exciting month! There are seeds to sow, new plants to choose, and spring to enjoy. Here are a few of the jobs you can get on with this month:

General tasks:

• Get flower beds ready for the year ahead by scattering general fertiliser between plants and mulching with well-rotted manure or soil improver.
• Treat lawns for moss by applying moss killer, available from our garden centre here in Pickering.
• Wait a few weeks, then rake it out.

Ornamental gardens

• Remove faded daffodil heads once they finish flowering to encourage good results again next year.
• Finish pruning roses and water thoroughly before sprinkling rose fertiliser at their feet to get them off to the best possible start.
• Sow seeds of hardy annuals like calendula and love-in- a-mist into prepared soil in a sunny spot.

Kitchen garden:

• Plant out early potatoes towards the end of the month – cover the row with a double layer of horticultural fleece to protect them from frost.
• Plant onion sets in a sunny, well-drained spot with the neck of each bulb just above the soil, allowing 12-15cm between each bulb.
• Feed fruit bushes with sulphate of potash to encourage a bumper harvest.