March Madness

What To Plant Right Now (Do This within the next week)

• Carrots
• Lettuce
• Spinach
• Radishes
• Beets
• Peas
• Swiss chard
• Cilantro
• Arugula

These love cool spring weather and struggle once the heat hits.

What To Start For Summer

Plant these now so they’re ready when warm weather arrives:

• Tomatoes
• Peppers
• Eggplant
• Basil

You can start seeds indoors now or buy starter plants toward the end of March.

What The Experienced Gardeners Do In March

This part matters more than planting.

1. Add compost now (not later)
   Spring compost makes a bigger difference than summer compost because it feeds roots while plants are developing.
2.  

2. Fix watering before the heat
If your drip system doesn’t work now, it definitely won’t work in July.

3. Plant in small waves
Instead of planting everything at once, plant a little every 2 weeks. That’s how you avoid getting 20 zucchini at the same time.

Local Tip For Gardeners

Most soil in the Sacramento Valley is low in organic matter. That means water drains too fast and nutrients disappear quickly.

Adding compost early in the season helps with:

• stronger roots
• bigger harvests
• less summer stress
• healthier soil long term

Next Weeks Dirt Report

The 5 mistakes Elk Grove gardeners make every spring (and how to avoid them)

If you know someone who loves gardening in Elk Grove, forward this to them — it helps the newsletter grow and keeps it local.

See you next week,

Mike Linley