What to Plant in March in Zone 8

Beans and Berries Both Start Early

Bush beans open this month, notably earlier than in colder gardens, but hold off sowing until a soil thermometer reads 60 degrees or better at a 2-inch depth, usually the back half of the month. Beans planted into cold soil often rot before they sprout rather than simply germinating slowly.

Blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, gooseberry, currant, and elderberry all go in as bare-root or container stock this month, roughly four weeks before your average last frost in late March. None of them mind a light frost once planted; what hurts them is sitting root-bound in a nursery pot for another month waiting on warmer weather that isn't required.

Strawberry day-neutral varieties planted this month can produce a first light harvest the same year, unlike June-bearing types, which need a full season to establish before fruiting begins the following spring.

Rhubarb divisions need at least 2 square feet of space per crown and resent standing water. Raise the planting hole a few inches above grade in heavier soil so crowns don't sit wet through a rainy spring.

The List Nearly Doubles Again

The crop table climbs into the mid-70s this month as a wide run of herbs, from dill and oregano to chives and rosemary, joins alongside asparagus crowns, rhubarb divisions, and the globe artichoke. Nearly all of February's cool-season crops carry a last-chance flag now, closing out over the next few weeks as the calendar turns toward true warm-season planting.

Direct-sow carrots and beets rather than transplanting them. Both develop a taproot that forks or stunts when disturbed, and resowing a fresh packet every 2 to 3 weeks through spring keeps a steady harvest coming instead of one crowded flush.

Thin carrot seedlings to about 2 inches apart once they show their first true leaves. Crowded roots compete for space underground and come up thin and twisted instead of straight.