March is a big month across the garden. Notwithstanding last year’s late cold snap, spring is on the way and growth is starting. In show terms it is six months until the Cookham show and there is plenty to be getting on with.

March is a good time to plant potatoes in our area, by the time the shoots start to appear the risk of frost should have pretty much gone and earthing up will protect the shoots from any late snaps. Serious show growers use containers for potatoes, a controlled growing environment helps with pest and disease control and because you don’t need to dig the potatoes fewer will be damaged in harvesting. Aside from being good for showing, less damage means that the tubers will store better, however you get a smaller crop in containers and you have to be assiduous with watering and feeding. Sinking bags into the ground so that feeder roots penetrate into the soil can help, but also allows the slugs in.

this year we are trialling growing potatoes in open ground and in bags next to each other in the same bed.

Potato bed

Previously we have tended to go for just a few potatoes in bags, focusing on bringing on some early potatoes in the greenhouse to get the first crops by the end of May.

Potatoes in a sack – early May

There is plenty of seed sowing due in March, and towards the end of the month you can get the squashes, courgettes and pumpkins going, all of which have classes in the show.  these will all be quite big plants by May, when it should be safe to plant them out, so if you don’t have anywhere frost free to bring these plants on, then it may be best to hang on for a couple of weeks.

On the flower side, Dahlia tubers will be showing signs of life, so these can be potted up ready for planting out later, just make sure that any new growing tips are protected from frost.  As the new shoots emerge in a month or two, it is a perfect time to propagate your best plants by taking cuttings from these vigorous new shoots.  in a heated propagator, these will root in just a few weeks.

Sprouting dahlias – early May

Weather-wise, don’t be fooled by the warm weather we had at the end of February.  there are still going to be plenty of frosts, so don’t be too eager to get plants outside and be careful with unheated greenhouses, plants can still get frosted in them.