Your Early Spring To-Do List

🌱 Start tomato & pepper seeds indoors

🥕 Direct sow carrots, spinach & peas

✂️ Prune roses & summer-flowering shrubs

🌿 Weed and prep garden beds

🥔 Plant first early potatoes

🌸 Divide perennials

🪴 Clean greenhouse & pots

🍓 Plant summer bulbs

🐝 Support pollinators

🌼 Mulch & feed borders

Save this for your March gardening checklist!

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March is the perfect time to start warm-season crops indoors so they’re strong and ready to plant out once the risk of frost has passed. Tomatoes, peppers, chillies and aubergines all benefit from an early start under cover, giving you a longer growing season and bigger harvests.

Starting seeds indoors is simple, but using the right setup makes a huge difference to germination rates and healthy growth.

Use Proper Seed Trays

Sowing into dedicated seed trays helps with drainage, spacing and root development. Modular trays make it easier to transplant seedlings later without disturbing their roots. Look for trays with clear lids or humidity domes to help retain warmth and moisture during germination.

Provide Strong Light

One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is not giving seedlings enough light. A sunny windowsill often isn’t sufficient in early spring, which can lead to leggy, weak plants. Grow lights provide consistent, strong light that keeps seedlings compact and healthy.

Position lights just above the seedlings and keep them on for 12–14 hours per day.

Choose a Quality Seed Compost

Seed compost is lighter and finer than multipurpose compost, which allows delicate roots to develop easily. It also reduces the risk of damping off , a common fungal issue that can kill young seedlings.

Fill trays, lightly firm the compost, sow seeds at the recommended depth, and water gently.

Add Bottom Heat for Better Germination

Tomatoes and peppers especially benefit from warmth. A heat mat placed under your seed trays speeds up germination and improves success rates. Most warm-season crops germinate best at around 18–24°C (65–75°F).

Once seeds have sprouted, you can usually remove the heat mat and focus on providing strong light.

March is the ideal time to prune most bush and shrub roses, just as new growth begins. Pruning encourages strong stems, better airflow, and more flowers throughout summer.

Step 1: Use the Right Tools

Start with a pair of sharp pruning secateurs like Felco F-2  for clean cuts. Thick gloves are essential to protect your hands from thorns.

Clean blades before and after pruning to prevent disease spread.

Step 2: Remove Dead, Damaged & Diseased Wood

Cut out:

Brown or blackened stems
Weak or spindly growth
Any crossing branches

Always cut back to healthy green wood.

Step 3: Cut to an Outward-Facing Bud

Look for a bud that faces away from the centre of the plant.
Make your cut about ¼ inch (0.5cm) above that bud at a slight angle.

This encourages the rose to grow outward, improving airflow and reducing disease risk.

Step 4: Open Up the Centre

Aim for a “goblet” or open-centre shape. Remove inward-growing stems to create space in the middle of the plant. This allows sunlight and air to circulate.

Step 5: Reduce Height

For bush roses, cut stems back by about one third to one half, depending on how vigorous the plant is. Don’t worry about being too precise,  roses are surprisingly forgiving.

Step 6: Feed After Pruning

Once pruned, apply a balanced rose fertiliser and mulch around the base with compost or well-rotted manure. This helps fuel strong spring growth.

Quick Tip

If you see bright green shoots forming low down on the plant, that’s your cue it’s time to prune.

March is the perfect time to divide many perennials just as new growth begins to appear. Dividing helps rejuvenate tired, overcrowded plants, encourages stronger flowering, and gives you free new plants for other areas of the garden.

Good candidates for spring division include hostas, daylilies, ornamental grasses, hardy geraniums and asters.

How to Divide Perennials

1. Lift the plant carefully using a garden fork or spade, loosening the soil around the root ball before lifting.
   Shake off excess soil so you can clearly see the roots and natural divisions.
   
   

2. Split the clump into smaller sections using a sharp spade or knife. Each section should have healthy roots and several shoots.
   
   

3. Replant immediately at the same depth they were growing before, water well, and add compost around the base.
   
   

Dividing every few years keeps plants vigorous, improves airflow, and helps prevent disease, plus it’s one of the easiest ways to fill your garden for free.

Having the right tools makes dividing perennials quick and much easier on your back.

A strong border spade such as the Spear & Jackson Neverbend Stainless Steel Border Spade helps you lift established clumps cleanly from the soil. For loosening roots without too much damage, a sturdy garden fork is invaluable.

If the root ball is dense, a sharp knife like the Hori Hori Garden Knife can help you split tough crowns cleanly.

When replanting, add fresh compost and label new divisions with durable plant markers so you can keep track of varieties.

March is a crucial time for pollinators. As temperatures begin to rise, bees and other beneficial insects emerge in search of nectar and pollen, but food sources can still be limited. A few simple steps in early spring can make a big difference.

Plant Early-Flowering Nectar Sources

Choose plants that bloom in early spring to provide essential food. Good options include hellebores, crocus, primrose, lungwort and flowering shrubs. Even adding a few containers near a sunny wall can help.

The more variety you grow, the longer you’ll provide nectar throughout the season.

Put Up a Bee Hotel

Solitary bees are gentle, excellent pollinators and don’t live in hives. Installing a bee hotel gives them a safe place to lay eggs.

Mount it somewhere sunny, sheltered from strong winds, and at least a metre off the ground.

Add Bird Feeders & Clean Water

Early spring is also a busy time for birds preparing for nesting season. Top up feeders regularly and provide fresh water.

Clean bird baths weekly to prevent disease and keep water topped up during dry spells.

Avoid Early Chemical Sprays

Try to avoid using pesticides, especially while plants are in bloom. Even products labelled “bee-friendly” can still disrupt beneficial insects if used incorrectly.

Encouraging natural predators and maintaining healthy soil will create a more balanced garden ecosystem.

Supporting pollinators in March sets the foundation for better fruiting, stronger vegetable crops and a healthier garden overall.