Coastal Northwest Garden Checklist: March
To help you grow the best garden ever, we worked with the Coastal garden department and pulled information from the extension services at both Oregon State and Washington State Universities. This month, we’ll talk about early spring prep, including strawberries, carrots, and using a thermometer in your soil.
Check soil temperature: Depending on where you live in the Northwest, you’ll want to wait to plant late-season crops until your soil reaches 60-65º F. Strawberries, peas, and others can be planted before the final frost. To check your soil temperature, use a metal thermometer and push it 4-inches into the ground. Check the temperature a few days in a row to be sure temperatures remain consistent.
Plant strawberries and new beds: Find a nice, sunny spot in the garden, add a layer of compost to the soil, and cover that section of dirt with black plastic. Then, cut a straight line of holes in the plastic (each hole should be 18-inches apart), dig a hole for each strawberry plant, carefully place your plant and compact the soil. Learn more.
Recycle tree limbs and plant cuttings: If you have the means, cut branches and other plant cuttings to make wood chips. Then spread those chips on top of the soil around shrubs and trees. Or simply buy bags of bark chips.
Plant carrots: Plant carrots three to five weeks before the last frost. For best results, loosen up the soil where you’ll be planting. Carrots like sandy and airy soil. Sow pelleted carrot seeds (for ease of planting and less thinning later). Plant at ¼-inch and 3- to 4-inches apart. Keep rows one foot apart.
Plant roses: On the west side of the Cascades, plant new roses in March. The east side of both Oregon and Washington might need to wait until April or May, depending on when the ground starts to thaw. To plant a rose, dig a hole that is twice as wide and deep as the pot your rose was planted in when you bought it. Add some compost and native soil to the hole and plant your rose.
Graft fruit trees: If you took cuttings earlier in the year, you can now begin to graft those limbs to live, healthy fruit trees. Learn more.
Fertilize cane berries: These include raspberries, blueberries and others with blood meal, cottonseed meal, fish meal, or other fertilizers.
Control slugs and snails: Add diatomaceous earth to areas where starts and other small plants are starting to grow. This can help curb slugs, snails, and other invasive pests.
Control moss: If you live on the west side of the Cascades, moss can be an issue around the yard and in your garden. Try dish soap or baking soda with warm water to safely remove moss from your garden.
Get Your Garden Growing at Coastal
Your nearby Coastal has a huge selection of roses, seeds, starts, and gardening equipment. Stop by and find everything you need for the best garden ever.