March gardening tips: spring tasks
Rooftop gardening
March 26, 2012
Last week I realized that spring had finally arrived, and that there was no time to lose. During the weekend I completed the indoor sowing, almost finished the outdoor sowing, eradicated dead plants, fought against aphids... I even started to repot the plants.
Transplanting
The hardest work in the early spring is to transplant all the seedlings with the root ball from the winter sowing.
 This year I'm growing many tomatoes, and they are almost all in place.
This is a Soldaki tomato, a pink, beefsteak, Polish variety.
 I never growed zucchini before and this are my first two plants.
 Yes, there is a small guest in a zucchini pot. It's balm, born spontaneously from seed rose from the garden, two floors below. I let this brave little one in the pot.
Indoor sowing
Little by little, the plants from indoor sowing are transplanted outdoor. Last Saturday I sowed indoor all varieties of basil and some seeds that haven't sprouted yet.
 I was really happy to see this Mulato Isleno chili: I want to try it since I started growing chili peppers, four years ago, but I never get good seeds until now.
 Last year we really enjoyed the rooftop cucumbers, and this year I'm growing some new varieties, like this White Wonder Cucumber.
 I sowed four varieties of basil: lettuce leaf, cinnamon, spice and lemon.
The awakening
With the temperatures steadily higher, many plants shows new shoot, or emerge from winter dormancy.
 My caper has many tiny purple shoots.
 Rhubarb chards, rainbow chards and my beloved sorrel have new small tender leaves. They have coped well in the winter and will be ready to be harvested soon.
 I harvest wild clover flowers for herbal teas: it's a weed but it has a short life cycle, and I left it in this unused pot for now.
Aphids are awakening too, and I rather cut off any affected herb or green.
 So, this is the last chopsuey harvest: I used it for a spread, minced with walnuts and onions.
After that all the plants were infested so heavily by aphids that die within a few days.
The chopsuey has nevertheless proved to be rather resistant to low temperatures, and I will sow it again next fall.
 Parsley, coriander and dill, are usually preferred by the aphids, but until now they are safe.
I used this small bunch of aromatic herbs in a seafood risotto that I will post soon.
This really small harvest joins to Harvest Mondays
One year ago: Gnocchi Skewers with Almonds and Sage
Two years ago: March gardening tips: A new season begins
Four years ago: Garden design
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