March Gardening in Southern California: Your Spring Prep Checklist

As spring emerges in Southern California, March is the pivotal month to prepare your garden for a thriving growing season. Here's your action plan:

Know Your Soil

SoCal gardens typically have either sandy or clay soil. Sandy soil drains quickly but retains few nutrients; clay holds water and nutrients but drains poorly. The universal fix? Compost. It improves structure, moisture retention, and microbial life in both types.

Prepare Planting Beds

Incorporate 2–3 inches of compost into beds before planting, replanting, dividing perennials, or repotting containers. A rototiller makes quick work of this task.

Fertilize Strategically

Apply nitrogen fertilizer now for most plants. Fruit trees and roses should wait until first leaf emergence. A second feeding in September supports fall growth.

Plant Warm-Season Vegetables & Herbs

After the last frost (mid-month), sow tomatoes, peppers, beans, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, corn, and herbs like basil, mint, oregano, parsley, and rosemary. Cool-season crops (broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, kale) can still go in. Carrots, beets, and radishes are year-round options.

Sow Summer Flowers

Start marigolds, petunias, alyssum, lobelia, dianthus, phlox, verbena, and impatiens from seed for a wider selection than nursery transplants offer.

Mow Lawns Correctly

• Cool-season grasses (bluegrass, rye, fescue): 2 inches in spring; raise to 3 inches in summer heat.
• Warm-season grasses (Bermuda, St. Augustine, zoysia): maintain 2 inches throughout spring and summer.

Regular mowing suppresses weeds and thickens turf.