March 2026 Snippets
Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s party!’
Robin Williams celebrating the arrival of spring and the promise of warmer days
Jill writes:
As I write the outside is cold and it is raining, again; sitting by the fire comes to mind not sowing salad leaves! Maybe, a change from eating the winter vegetables will help me through this rather damp dreary season.
Here is a selection of salad leaves that can be sown now for early spring pickings, some are even cold-tolerant. Some of these can be used as ‘pick and come again’ that is pick leaves regularly to encourage growth. Salad crops can be started off on warm window sills to avoid the need for heated propagators or greenhouses.
All mustards can be sown from early to late spring and again in the autumn, avoiding the warmest months, at two-week intervals to provide continuous crop; the spicey mustard taste becoming stronger in flavour as the leaves grow. A green leaf variety is Green in the snow mustard, the serrated leaves are good steamed or eaten in a stir fry. Watch out for the mid-summer sun which may cause the plant to go to flower. Red frills mustard produces dark red and green leaves with a strong mustard flavour.
Three plants with red leaves, as the names imply, are ornamental as well as edible. Red ochre or mountain spinach’s slightly salty basal tasting leaves can be eaten in a salad or cooked like spinach. Sow now in a green house or similar for planting out. Purple-leaf beetroot, sow in shallow drills outdoors from March until September. Sowing close together allows the sweet and tender thinnings to be eaten as leaves and allows space for the beets to mature. Red chard is a biennial leafy green with vibrant red stems and veins; eaten raw or cooked. Being cold tolerant can be sown directly into the garden into a well-drained fertile soil.
These two happily self-seed – Winter purslane sow for spring harvest, broadcast the seeds or sow into shallow drill, the diamond shaped leaves give a creamy flavour and texture. Tree spinach, also known as the Barbie of salad leaves due to baby green plants frosted pink in the centre, is not an actual tree but does grow to a height of 1.8m. The young whole plants can be eaten as salad leaves or if left are good for cooking. Needing cooler temperatures to germinate sown now under cover and plant out in April.
For another colour try the curly yellow-white leaved Endive ‘pancaliera’, with pleasant bitter taste. Sow now in modules in warm places, such as propagators, for harvest in June/July.
March handy tip – Tool care
Tools a little rusty after the wet winter? Save tools from rust and maintenance time and effort with a sand and oil bucket. Our gardening tools come into contact with moisture from many sources such as soil, fertiliser, sap and unintentionally being left outside. This moisture can lead to rust, corrosion and dull blades which over time will hinder performance and shorten their life.
A low-cost, eco-friendly, minimum effort solution is a sand and oil bucket. This mixture reduces dirt and prevents rust by coating with a protective oil layer to minimise corrosion.
Fill a sturdy 5-gallon (approx 23 litre) bucket or container to three quarters of coarse sand. Mix in 2–3 cups of oil, pouring evenly and mixing thoroughly until the sand is moist but not overly saturated. The aim is a consistency that clings lightly to metal surfaces without being too greasy. Some people recommend motor or synthetic oils but as these can be harmful to plants are best avoided for gardening tools.
After use, clean off soil by rinsing or wiping before plunging just your tool blades into the mixture several times. This will scrub off debris and coat them with oil to prevent rust. Clean off heavy soil before using the sand bucket by rinsing or wiping with a cloth.
Disinfect tools periodically, especially after pruning or removing diseased plants. Use rubbing alcohol is less harmful than a bleach solution.