What to Plant in March in Zone 6
Here is what you can sow in March if you garden in USDA zone 6. Dates use typical zone 6 frosts, so your own microclimate may shift them by a week or two.
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| Crop | Window | Sow between |
|---|---|---|
| Snap PeaSugar Snap | spring | Feb 27 – Apr 10 |
| PotatoKennebec | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 15 |
| CilantroCalypso | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 27 |
| ParsleyItalian Flat-Leaf | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 27 |
| Lettuce, leafSalad Bowl | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 27 |
| Lettuce, romaineChalupa | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 15 |
| Lettuce, headButtercrunch | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 15 |
| SpinachBloomsdale | spring | Feb 27 – Apr 10 |
| ArugulaAstro | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 27 |
| KaleDazzling Blue | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 10 |
| Swiss ChardBright Lights | spring | Mar 27 – May 11 |
| CollardsGeorgia Southern | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 15 |
| Mustard GreensFlorida Broadleaf | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 15 |
| CabbageTiara | spring | Feb 27 – Mar 27 |
| BroccoliBelstar | spring | Feb 27 – Mar 27 |
| CauliflowerSnow Crown | spring | Feb 27 – Mar 26 |
| KohlrabiWinner | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 15 |
| CarrotNapoli | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 15 |
| BeetDetroit Dark Red | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 15 |
| RadishCherry Belle | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 27 |
| TurnipPurple Top | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 15 |
| Onion, bulbTexas Legend | spring | Feb 10 – Mar 26 |
| Onion, bunchingEvergreen | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 27 |
| Fava Bean (Broad Bean)Broad Windsor | spring | Mar 9 – Apr 10 |
| English Shelling PeaLittle Marvel | spring | Feb 27 – Apr 10 |
| Napa CabbageBlues F1 | spring | Mar 6 – Mar 31 |
| Bok ChoyJoi Choi F1 | spring | Mar 9 – Apr 6 |
| Rapini (Broccoli Raab)Zamboni F1 | spring | Mar 1 – Mar 31 |
| Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli)Crispy Blue | spring | Mar 3 – Apr 2 |
| TatsoiTatsoi | spring | Feb 24 – Mar 31 |
| MizunaMizuna Early | spring | Feb 24 – Apr 6 |
| Daikon RadishMiyashige | spring | Mar 6 – Mar 31 |
| EndiveFrisée Fine Maraîchère | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 10 |
| EscaroleBatavian Full Heart | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 10 |
| SorrelProfusion | spring | Feb 27 – Apr 10 |
| WatercressCommon | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 10 |
| CeleryTango | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 20 |
| ParsnipHollow Crown | spring | Jan 26 – Mar 9 |
| LeekLincoln | spring | Jan 26 – Mar 9 |
| ShallotAmbition | spring | Feb 23 – Mar 30 |
| SalsifyMammoth Sandwich Island | spring | Feb 23 – Mar 30 |
| Fennel, FlorenceOrion | spring | Mar 9 – Apr 13 |
| ChervilCurled | spring | Mar 30 – May 4 |
| Raspberry, redHeritage (everbearing) | spring | Mar 30 – May 4 |
| GooseberryHinnonmaki Red | spring | Mar 30 – May 4 |
| Haskap (Honeyberry)Borealis | spring | Mar 21 – Apr 27 |
| AsparagusJersey Knight | spring | Mar 30 – May 4 |
| RhubarbVictoria | spring | Mar 21 – May 4 |
| Sunchoke (Jerusalem Artichoke)Stampede | spring | Mar 30 – May 8 |
| Artichoke, globeImperial Star | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 27 |
| Lettuce | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 27 |
| Onion | spring | Feb 10 – Mar 26 |
| Calendula (Pot Marigold)Resina | spring | Mar 30 – May 4 |
| Mache (Corn Salad)Vit | spring | Mar 6 – Apr 13 |
| Cress, gardenCurled | spring | Mar 13 – May 4 |
| Currant, redRed Lake | spring | Mar 30 – May 4 |
Zone 6 in March
March in Zone 6: Three Crops With a Window That Opens and Shuts in the Same Month
Napa cabbage, rapini, and daikon do not carry into April here
Three crops are unusual in the Zone 6 calendar because their entire outdoor planting window sits inside March alone, with no overlap into April the way most cool-season crops get. Napa cabbage, rapini, and daikon radish all bolt fast once soil warms, and Zone 6's quicker spring warm-up compresses their runway to about 4 weeks, compared with the 6 to 8 weeks a colder zone allows for the same crops. Put seed down before mid-March if at all possible, since a late sowing here runs straight into bolting weather instead of a full harvest.
The February transplants are now on a deadline
Cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower started indoors in February need to move outside this month, ideally once a soil thermometer reads 45 degrees or higher, 2 inches down, on 3 straight checks. The jump from indoor warmth to that 45-degree soil asks less of a brassica transplant than the jump May crops make, so 5 to 7 days outside is enough hardening, not the 10 a tomato start needs, and an overlong hardening period just wastes bench space these crops do not have.
Reading soil moisture matters more than reading a thermometer
Zone 6 soils dry out and warm up faster than one zone to the north, which means the ball test, squeezing a handful of soil from 4 inches down to see if it stays packed or crumbles, often clears earlier here than the thermometer alone would suggest. Working a bed while it is still slightly too wet compacts clay-heavy Zone 6 soil into clods that can take most of the season to break back down, so trust the crumble test over the calendar.
March in zone 6: common questions
What can I plant in March in zone 6?+
In March, USDA zone 6 gardeners can sow Snap Pea, Potato, Cilantro, Parsley, Lettuce, leaf, Lettuce, romaine, and more. Dates use typical zone 6 frosts, so your own microclimate may shift them by a week or two.
What USDA hardiness zone am I in?+
Zone 6 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 6 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.