March jobs in my garden

And how I'm approaching them with intention.

Although spring is still officially a few weeks away, the arrival of March feels a very significant point of the gardening year. Of course as I write this, the sky is grey, it’s pouring with raining and if you’re from the North you might say it’s blowing a hooley!

Nevertheless, I find myself smiling as I start to make a list of jobs I need to do in the garden this month. It still looks quite bare out there right now but lots of shoots are emerging. I have crocuses and daffodils and snowdrops adding a little bit of colour and the promise of all that’s to come.

It can be overwhelming, with all the jobs that suddenly need to be done as we head into the spring, so I’m making sure my time in the garden is very intentional. Sometimes I’m there to work and get stuff done, but sometimes I’m just there to be, leaving my phone and all other distractions to one side and allowing myself to be fully immersed in this sanctuary I continue to create. If ever I start to feel like it’s becoming a chore, I refocus my mind, approaching the task from a place of love for my garden and gratitude that I get to do these jobs rather than I have to do them.

Some of the main jobs on my list this March.

Sowing Seeds

I think the job that will take up most of my time during March will be sowing seeds. This will be my second year of growing a substantial amount of the garden from seed. Last year I mainly grew annuals. Some I loved and some not so much but I certainly learnt a lot in the process.

As I’ve mentioned in previous journals, I was a bit seed happy last year. I grew too much, too early and found caring for the seedlings to be quite a challenge. This year I’m practicing patience. I’ve been more intentional in my choice of seeds, making sure to only sow what I need and to choose annuals I love and want to include in my garden for many years. That way I can collect seeds for next year and keep the cycle going. I’m also growing a lot more perennials too. They might take longer to flower but that’s all part of the process.

I’m choosing to wait until later in the month before I really get started with sowing. So far I’ve only sown a couple of trays of perennials, they take longer to germinate and it would appear they prefer to be sown in the colder months, and some Swan River Daisies. The wealth of knowledge that is Instagram suggested they were a good one for early sowing and as I plan on planting them in pots at least I should get a bit of colour fairly early on.

With the rest of my seed collection I intend to pace myself and make sure I thoroughly enjoy the process. It’s what I’ve been waiting for since I put my knife and fork down after my Christmas dinner after all!

A Saturday morning mindful seed sowing session is one of my favourite ways to start the weekend. Focusing on the feel and smell of the compost, the shape of the tiny seeds in the cup of my hand. I can’t help but feel in awe of seeds and all they represent. So much hope and potential. I know that inherently, most plants want to grow and there’s not necessarily a lot of skill in sprinkling a packet of seeds onto some compost. But I love looking at a plant in my summer garden and knowing I’ve been involved in every step of its journey. It’s easy to buy larger plants from the garden centre and get instant gratification (I do this too so absolutely no shame if this is your preference), but sowing from seed requires a different kind of mindset. It requires patience and trust and brings out our most nurturing side. It’s not unusual for me to be found talking to my plants. Whether that makes me particularly caring or just a crazy plant lady I’m not sure, and honestly I don’t think I even mind.

Sowing the wildflower mini-meadow.

My vision is to have somewhere to sit in the morning sun with my cup of tea and journal, surrounded by tall blooms, swishy grasses and the wildlife I’m lucky enough to share my garden with. The back-breaking graft of clearing and levelling the ground is now done. Thankfully my husband lent a helping hand otherwise I might still be shifting gravel. I’ve bought a meadow grass mix from Chiltern Seeds which I will sow as soon as the temperature is a bit warmer and that part of the garden gets the sun for a bit longer. I realise the ideal time to sow is in Autumn, but that ship has sailed so I’m giving it a go and hoping for the best. For now it’s just bare earth which is great fun with two inquisitive dogs and their mucky paws.

The wildflower mini-meadow. A fair bit of imagination is required at this stage.

The meadow grass mix I’ll be using. Not sponsored in any way.

For the rest of the actual wildflowers I’m going to try two methods. I’ll start some seeds off inside, in trays of compost then plant them out as plug plants in late spring. That way I can ensure germination and also be more specific about the location of the flowers. Then I’ll direct sow the rest, probably in April and then re-sow everything in September so they can establish for next year. Once again, it’s about playing the long game and knowing that gardens aren’t created overnight. Unless you have a healthy budget and team of gardeners, but that doesn’t exactly fit the brief of slow, mindful and intentional gardening does it?

Weeding

As everything in the garden begins to wake up, you can be sure the weeds will do the same. They’re the only thing in my garden that are guaranteed to thrive this summer.

I try to pull weeds out on a little and often basis. I take a slow meander around the garden and pull up any obvious ones as I go. That way it doesn’t feel too overwhelming, especially as it’s one of those jobs that will never be ticked off the to do list. But perhaps the best thing I can do with weeds is to stop fighting them so hard and accept they’re part of nature so will always have a presence in my garden. I can only try my best, and then surrender to the rest. My garden is a real, lived in garden, not a show garden. Perfection isn’t the goal.

Another approach to dealing with weeds is to use them as part of a visualisation. If I find myself feeling stuck in any way, half an hour of weeding, imagining each weed to be a negative thought or belief that I’m removing from my mind, can be pretty powerful stuff.

Encouraging birds

The birds will be nesting very soon so I want to make sure my garden provides food and shelter for those who visit. I’ll clean out the bird feeders (super important all year round to prevent the spread of disease) and be sure to provide a choice of food and fresh water. I try to leave small twigs, leaves and grasses around too so they can be used in nests.

And the rest

I also have mulching, painting, general tidying (the shed mostly) and at some point in March I’ll be starting dahlia tubers off inside. Although I’ll have to go out and buy some first.

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In other news

Before I sign off I just wanted to share a couple of things with you.

The first is that that I’m officially an RHS Student, studying Principles of Plant Growth and Development. I’m so excited to be at the beginning of this journey and to be truly following my heart.

The second, for those based in the North East, is that I’ve set up a walking group called Walking Well. I’ll be guiding some slow and mindful walks in and around Northumberland. My hope is to encourage others to get out walking in nature as an antidote to stress and also a chance to connect with others.

And with that, I wish you a wonderful week, both in and out of the garden.

Let me know what’s on your to do list for this month, you can leave a comment or hit reply and send me an email. I really love to hear from you.

Here’s to the beginning of another growing season. Much love

Claire x