A gardener has shared the vegetables that should be planted now (stock photo) (Image: Getty)
Attention all green-thumbed gardeners – it’s time to start planting your vegetables.
With spring finally upon us, many of us will have spent the weekend tidying up our and maybe even planting some flowers to get them ready for blooming in the summer months.
But according to one expert, mid-March is also the perfect time to start planting any vegetables you might want to grow this year – especially one beginner-friendly plant that’s perfect for adding to salads.
In a video shared on , Paulina shared the vegetables she’s planning on sowing in her allotment this week. She said waiting until mid-March often means the light levels are better, and seedlings can grow stronger.
And for anyone wanting to grow this year – which are often seen as a beginner plant that almost anyone can grow in their garden even without a dedicated greenhouse or allotment – you’ll want to get them into the soil as soon as possible if you want to harvest them for your summer salads.
Paulina split her vegetable seeds into ones she would be sowing into small pots that would be left on a windowsill, ones she would be planting in her unheated greenhouse, and those that would be going directly into the ground outside.
Windowsill vegetables
To begin, Paulina said she would sow the “most tender and heat-loving plants” into small flower pots that she would keep indoors on her windowsills. Vegetables in this category included celeriac and celery, as well as herbs like parsley and basil.
She also noted that the middle of March is when she sows her “outdoor tomatoes” – although she starts their growing journey indoors on a windowsill as it’s still a bit too cold for them to go outside.
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The gardener said: “I try to space my tomatoes out nicely and don’t crowd them because it won’t be another month before I pot them. I place the tomatoes, celery and celeriac on a heated propagator as they require higher temperatures to germinate.”
Unheated greenhouse
The plants Paulina sows in her unheated greenhouse germinate at lower temperatures but still require some shielding from the elements. This year, the gardener is starting three different varieties of kohlrabi and cauliflower in her greenhouse.
She also sows her lettuce varieties in her greenhouse, as she said this gives them a “fighting chance against slugs” and other pests that love nothing more than munching on the leaves before she gets a chance to harvest them.
Directly in the ground
This time of year is also the perfect time to start sowing some veggies directly in the soil outside. Paulina said this year, she’s mostly starting root vegetables, such as carrots, parsnips, beetroot, and radishes, this way.
According to the (RHS), carrots are mainly sown between April and early July, but early varieties can be sown in March – provided you protect them with cloches or biodegradable fleece. The same is true for parsnips, which should be sown “once the soil has warmed up in mid-spring”, and radishes, which can be sown now but should be protected with cloches.
Most importantly, Paulina gives “everything a good soak” with her watering can once she’s finished planting to ensure all her seedlings are watered and ready to grow.