GrowSmart Calendar - March

It's still warm and dry this month so watering is important. It's harvest time for many crops which is great but you'll need to protect your fruit trees from birds 'cos it's a harvest time for them too!

Dig over harvested areas, remove weeds, dig in compost and organic fertiliser mix. A handful of dolomite lime per sq m is beneficial, particularly in heavy soils. Or you can sow a green manure mix such as lupin, vetch or clover to grow over winter, then dig into the soil as a natural fertiliser around September for spring/summer crops.

Plant and sow - beetroot, brocolli, cabbage, cauliflower, leeks, lettuces, peas, spring onions, radishes, spinach, turnips.

Plant of the month - Brocolli

A very nutritious vegetable which can be grown throughout the year but usually over autumn, winter and spring. Buy seedlings and plant successively for a regular harvest. It's easily grown from a seed - sow in punnets, prick out seedlings into 10cm pots and grow until 10cm high. Transplant into a well prepared bed and water in.