Warren County Agriculture

Spring is around the corner, and Kentucky gardeners should start preparing for the upcoming gardening season. The March Gardening Calendar is an excellent tool for helping gardeners plan and stay ahead of the game! The following tasks will assist you in maintaining your garden in top shape and increasing the chances of a bountiful harvest.

March Gardening Calendar Task #1: Home Lawn- Pre-Emergent Herbicide Timing

First, pre-emergent herbicides for crabgrass control in central Kentucky should be applied between March and April 15th. A helpful way to determine when to apply the product is to observe the blooming of forsythia shrubs. For more information on using pre-emergence herbicides for the Kentucky lawn, visit this link: https://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/AGR/AGR272/AGR272.pdf.

March Gardening Calendar Task #2: Soil Testing & Sharpen Garden Tools

Perform a soil test and apply lime and fertilizer recommendations based on soil test recommendations. Clean and sharpen garden tools, as they will be your trusted companions throughout the gardening season.

March Gardening Calendar Task #3: Cool Season Vegetables & Planting Dates

• Prepare the garden soil for planting and move transplants of cabbage and kohlrabi to the garden on March 15th for western Kentucky and March 25th for central Kentucky.

• On March 15th, in western Kentucky, and March 25th, in central Kentucky, seeds of beets, carrots, collards, kale, mustard, peas, spinach, early potato seed pieces, radishes, turnips, green onions, and endives can be started outdoors.

• Begin trays of tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers indoors on March 15th for western Kentucky and March 25th for central Kentucky—plant cool-season herbs like dill and parsley, asparagus, and rhubarb crowns in the home vegetable garden.

• Fertilize established plants with 1 lb. 5-10-10 per 100 sq. ft. Remember to dig and divide any 4-year-old rhubarb plants.

• Gradually harden off vegetable seedlings grown indoors for two weeks before planting them outdoors. Remember to increase their time outside by a few additional hours each day and then work up to 24 hours a day for a couple of days to help toughen them up.

March Gardening Calendar Task #4: Cool-Season Flowers & Other General Tasks

Add some color to your garden and landscape with cool-season flowers such as pansies, ornamental cabbage, and kale. These flowers work great in containers, too!

Don’t forget to prepare the lawn mower for the season by sharpening the blades and performing other necessary maintenance. Prune fruit trees in the orchard or backyard to help increase sunlight and airflow potential, remove clippings from the area, and discard them properly.

Finally, organic matter like compost should be incorporated into garden soil to improve soil structure. If you need more information about the list of March gardening tasks, don’t hesitate to contact the Warren County Extension Office at (270) 842-1681 or stop by our location at 5162 Russellville Road in Bowling Green, KY.