Zone 6 · March · 4 weeks before last frost
What to plant in March in Zone 6
Typical last frost in zone 6 is around Apr 15, and first frost around Oct 15. This is the month the season splits: cold zones are still starting seed indoors, warm zones are harvesting spring greens and setting out their first tomatoes.
Start indoors this month
Seed trays indoors, under a light or in the brightest window you have. These are slow crops that need a head start on the season.
- Cherry Tomato — window Mar 4 – Mar 18 (5 gal, 12" deep)
- Loose-leaf Lettuce — window Mar 18 – Apr 1 (2 gal, 6" deep)
- Basil — window Mar 4 – Mar 18 (2 gal, 8" deep)
- Kale — window Mar 11 – Mar 25 (3 gal, 10" deep)
- Bush Cucumber — window Mar 25 – Apr 8 (5 gal, 12" deep)
- Zucchini — window Mar 25 – Apr 8 (7 gal, 14" deep)
- Hot Pepper — window Feb 18 – Mar 4 (3 gal, 12" deep)
- Spinach — window Mar 18 – Apr 1 (2 gal, 6" deep)
Set out into the final container
Transplants go into the pot they will finish in. Hardening them off for four to five days first prevents most transplant shock.
- Strawberry — window Mar 18 – Mar 28 (2 gal, 8" deep)
- Spinach — window Mar 25 – Apr 4 (2 gal, 6" deep)
Direct sow
Sow straight into the final pot. These crops resent root disturbance, and transplanting them usually costs more time than it saves.
- Loose-leaf Lettuce — window Mar 25 – Apr 15 (2 gal, 6" deep)
- Radish — window Mar 25 – Apr 15 (1 gal, 6" deep)
- Spinach — window Mar 18 – Apr 8 (2 gal, 6" deep)
Sow for autumn
A second sowing timed backwards from first frost. Fewer pests, less watering, and better flavour in most cool crops.
No autumn sowing window opens this month in this zone.
Harvesting this month
Nothing from our dataset is in its harvest window this month here.
Not this month
Everything in the dataset is either in an active window or already finished for the year. Nothing is badly timed this month.
Zone 6 at a glance
Zone 6 gives about 160 frost-free days and is the easiest zone for container growing — long enough for peppers, short enough that midsummer heat rarely sterilises pollen.