What to Plant in March in Zone 5
Here is what you can sow in March if you garden in USDA zone 5. Dates use typical zone 5 frosts, so your own microclimate may shift them by a week or two.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. We only point to seeds and gear we would use ourselves. See our full affiliate disclosure.
| Crop | Window | Sow between |
|---|---|---|
| Snap PeaSugar Snap | spring | Mar 9 – Apr 20 |
| PotatoKennebec | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 25 |
| CilantroCalypso | spring | Mar 23 – May 7 |
| ParsleyItalian Flat-Leaf | spring | Mar 23 – May 7 |
| Lettuce, leafSalad Bowl | spring | Mar 23 – May 7 |
| Lettuce, romaineChalupa | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 25 |
| Lettuce, headButtercrunch | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 25 |
| SpinachBloomsdale | spring | Mar 9 – Apr 20 |
| ArugulaAstro | spring | Mar 23 – May 7 |
| KaleDazzling Blue | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 20 |
| CollardsGeorgia Southern | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 25 |
| Mustard GreensFlorida Broadleaf | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 25 |
| CabbageTiara | spring | Mar 9 – Apr 6 |
| BroccoliBelstar | spring | Mar 9 – Apr 6 |
| CauliflowerSnow Crown | spring | Mar 9 – Apr 5 |
| KohlrabiWinner | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 25 |
| CarrotNapoli | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 25 |
| BeetDetroit Dark Red | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 25 |
| RadishCherry Belle | spring | Mar 23 – May 7 |
| TurnipPurple Top | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 25 |
| Onion, bulbTexas Legend | spring | Feb 20 – Apr 5 |
| Onion, bunchingEvergreen | spring | Mar 23 – May 7 |
| Fava Bean (Broad Bean)Broad Windsor | spring | Mar 19 – Apr 20 |
| English Shelling PeaLittle Marvel | spring | Mar 9 – Apr 20 |
| Napa CabbageBlues F1 | spring | Mar 16 – Apr 10 |
| Bok ChoyJoi Choi F1 | spring | Mar 19 – Apr 16 |
| Rapini (Broccoli Raab)Zamboni F1 | spring | Mar 11 – Apr 10 |
| Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli)Crispy Blue | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 12 |
| TatsoiTatsoi | spring | Mar 6 – Apr 10 |
| MizunaMizuna Early | spring | Mar 6 – Apr 16 |
| Daikon RadishMiyashige | spring | Mar 16 – Apr 10 |
| EndiveFrisée Fine Maraîchère | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 20 |
| EscaroleBatavian Full Heart | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 20 |
| SorrelProfusion | spring | Mar 9 – Apr 20 |
| WatercressCommon | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 20 |
| ParsnipHollow Crown | spring | Feb 5 – Mar 19 |
| LeekLincoln | spring | Feb 5 – Mar 19 |
| ShallotAmbition | spring | Mar 5 – Apr 9 |
| SalsifyMammoth Sandwich Island | spring | Mar 5 – Apr 9 |
| CeleriacPrinz | spring | Jan 22 – Mar 5 |
| Fennel, FlorenceOrion | spring | Mar 19 – Apr 23 |
| Haskap (Honeyberry)Borealis | spring | Mar 31 – May 7 |
| RhubarbVictoria | spring | Mar 31 – May 14 |
| Lettuce | spring | Mar 23 – May 7 |
| Onion | spring | Feb 20 – Apr 5 |
| Mache (Corn Salad)Vit | spring | Mar 16 – Apr 23 |
| Cress, gardenCurled | spring | Mar 23 – May 14 |
Zone 5 in March
March in Zone 5: Dozens of New Crops and Three Deadlines
The soil test that matters more than the calendar
Zone 5 soil holds onto winter longer than the air does, so the real gate for March planting is a temperature, not a date. Grab a handful of soil from 2 inches down: if it forms a ball that stays packed when poked, it is still too wet to work, and digging now compacts it into clods that take all season to break up. Once the ball crumbles instead, read a soil thermometer at that same depth: peas and spinach seed only ask for 40 degrees, but onion sets and brassica transplants want a reading a full 5 degrees warmer, 45, before they are cleared to go in.
The February onion and leek starts still have weeks to go
Onion and leek transplants started under lights in February are only about 8 weeks old by now, short of the 10 to 12 weeks either crop needs before it is ready to leave the tray, so resist moving them out just because the calendar flipped to March. Give them another 2 to 4 weeks under light, trimming roots back to 2 inches only if they have circled the cell tightly enough to slow new growth. Parsnip is different: if the February sowing never came up, direct-sow a fresh round now, since a second attempt from new seed beats waiting on old seed that may never germinate.
What March plantings need that April ones do not
Anything sown outdoors this month should be hardened off differently than a May seedling. Cold-tolerant crops like spinach and kale can go from a warm windowsill directly into open ground with only 2 or 3 days of outdoor exposure first, compared with the 7 to 10 days a tomato seedling needs in May, because the temperature gap they are crossing is smaller. Skipping that shorter step is the most common reason March transplants stall for two weeks instead of taking off.
March in zone 5: common questions
What can I plant in March in zone 5?+
In March, USDA zone 5 gardeners can sow Snap Pea, Potato, Cilantro, Parsley, Lettuce, leaf, Lettuce, romaine, and more. Dates use typical zone 5 frosts, so your own microclimate may shift them by a week or two.
What USDA hardiness zone am I in?+
Zone 5 is one band of the map, but planting time is set by your local frost dates, not the zone number. Enter your ZIP code in the free planner and it uses your actual frost dates, which can differ by weeks within a single zone.
Are these March planting dates exact?+
They are typical zone 5 windows. Two gardens in the same zone can be a week or two apart because of elevation and local climate, so treat these as a starting point and tune them to your ZIP code with the free planner.