What to Plant in March: Front Range of Colorado
Hello! March is such an exciting month for dreaming and gearing up for gardening season. Read on for ideas for what to plant on the Front Range of Colorado (Colorado Springs to Fort Collins) this month.
Rough timing is good to keep in mind, but everyone’s situation is different. These are my recommendations based on what has worked for myself in this region throughout the years (though I’ve been known to not follow the “rules”!). Experiment and find what works for you!
The guide is for an approximate last frost date of May 5-15, but of course in Colorado it can vary a lot year to year.
First Half of March:
This is a good time to sow alliums (onions, leeks, and shallots), celery, cabbage, peppers, perennial herbs like lavender, thyme, oregano, and sage indoors from seed. Some of these you can start in February, but early March is still a good window.
Note on peppers 🌶️: you have the option to wait until mid-late March, especially if you’re using a heat mat to speed germination. Start earlier if you want larger plants and have the space to pot them up. If you’re a super hot pepper fan, you likely started those peppers in January or February, but you could still try now and experiment.
Second Half of March:
This is when I start tomatoes, peppers that I didn’t start in early March (it’s on the late side for super hots), eggplant, tomatillos, basil, chard, kale, lettuce, Asian greens, kohlrabi, cabbage if you didn’t plant in early March, broccoli, and cauliflower; and first succession plantings of direct sowing peas, radishes, spinach, and lettuce. You can try pushing the direct sowing earlier if you wish, especially if you have raised beds (soils warms faster) or row covers. You can try direct sowing onion seeds as well, but since this will be my first year trying it, I’m going to experiment first before recommending.
I prefer to start my cole crops (e.g. cabbage, broccoli) indoors so I have more control over spacing/arranging them, but if you’d like to experiment with direct sowing, go for it! These types of seeds usually have a ton in the packages.
Looking ahead to the beginning of April
Starting tomatoes, tomatillos, and basil at the beginning of April is still totally fine if you’re planting out the end of May. Continue with succession plantings of direct sowing peas, radish, and spinach. Also begin succession planting arugula and lettuce. Onion sets and allium transplants from indoors can be planted mid April on. Potatoes can be started around the second to third week, as well as carrots and beets.
Here is the full article on what to plant in April.
For a deeper dive, check out my articles on seed starting:
Seed Starting Step-by-Step Tutorial
Seed Starting - After Germination
Meet me over on facebook or instagram to comment on my posts to tell me what you’re starting now, and with any questions.
Happy Planting!
