March – Food Gardening in Subtropics and Warm Regions of Australia
by Ewa Bekiesch, Permaculture designer, educator, self-sufficient and sustainable living consultant, and healthy food advocate.
March is here, and with it comes a flurry of activity in the garden! Even though the summer heat lingers, autumn is quietly making its presence known. The transition to cooler weather brings with it the excitement of winter sowing and planting, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. After months of battling the summer heat and humidity, I’m looking forward to spending more time outdoors, tending to the garden and preparing for the season ahead.
If you’re like me, eager to grow an abundance of food and move closer to self-reliance, this article is for you. Let’s dive into the essential tasks for March and get your garden ready for a productive winter season!
General Jobs for March
- Pruning and Trimming
Now is the perfect time to prune and trim perennial bushes and vines. Turn the cuttings into mulch for your garden beds! If the cuttings are seed-free, they can go straight onto the beds. For those with seeds, toss them into the worm farm or compost to avoid unwanted sprouts. Pruning at the start of autumn gives your plants enough time to produce new growth before winter sets in. - Preparing Garden Beds
If you haven’t already, now’s the time to prepare your garden beds for winter sowing and planting. Focus on regenerating and enriching the soil, and don’t forget to mulch generously. Healthy soil is the foundation of a thriving garden, so take the time to nurture it. - Planning Your Garden
March is also a great time to plan what seeds and seedlings to plant and where to place them. A little planning now will pay off in a bountiful harvest later!
Our Online Store
We sell many of the fruits and veggies mentioned here in the form of seeds, cuttings, and plants through our online store at www.foodforestseeds.au All are naturally grown, non-GMO, heirloom, and open-pollinated plants, and most come directly from my food forest. Simply use the search function or browse through the available categories. Your orders are always greatly appreciated, as they help us continue doing what we love. Thank you so much for your support.
Our Rewards Program!
Earn points with every purchase and use them for discounts on future orders. It’s our way of saying thank you for supporting our mission to help people grow their own food.
Sowing, Planting, and Harvesting in March
This month is all about sowing and planting for the winter season. Whether you’re growing leafy greens, root vegetables, or herbs, now is the time to get them in the ground.
Sowing
If you don’t know some of the plants in the list below, check my Food Forest Guide or visit my online store for more info about the plants, how to grow, and how to use them, along with some other tips and tricks.
- Amaranth
- Asparagus crown
- Basil
- beetroot
- Borage
- carrot
- Cape Gooseberry
- Artichokes
- Indiana Lettuce, Chinese Sword Lettuce – Lactuca indica
- Chives
- Choko
- edible flowers
- Pigeon Pea
- Poor Man’s Bean
- Sage
- Tomatoe
- Carraway
- garlic
- Lettuce
- Marjoram – start seeds in trays
- Onion – start seeds in trays
- Parsley
- Radish
- Rocket Lettuce
- red cabbage – start seeds in trays
- Silverbeet
- Sunflower
- white cabbage – start seeds in trays
- Wombok Cabbage – start seeds in trays
Planting
Before you plant the plants, make sure they are sun-trained and check where they grow best: in sun, half-shade, or shade.
There are no trees on this list, mainly because there are so many fruit trees that thrive in warm climates. Choose what you enjoy eating and what suits your garden best. If you’d like to see the trees we’re growing, check out our Food Forest Guide.
- Aloe Vera – Yellow flowering
- tomatoes
- beetroot
- Cape Gooseberry
- Carrot
- celery
- Celeriac
- Cassava – Manihot esculenta
- Basil
- Galangal – Thai Ginger –Greater Galangal, Alpinia galangal
- Gotu Kola – Centella asiatica
- Lemongrass – Cymbopogan citratus
- Longevity Spinach – Gynura procumbens
- Okinawa Spinach – Hawaiian lettuce – Gynura bicolour
- Peruvian Parsnip – Arracacia xanthorrhiza
- St John’s Wort – Hypericum perforatum
- Goldenrod – Solidago canadensis
- Tarragon, Estragon – Artemisia dracunculus
- Pigface, Baby Sunrose – Aptenia cordifolia
- Brahmi-Memory Plant – Waterhyssop – Bacopa monnieri
- Bana Grass – Pennisetum purpureum x amaricanum
- Sugarcane Red – Saccharum officinarum
- horseradish
- oregano
- QLD Arrowroot
- Rose Geranium
- shallots
- garlic chives
- sweet potatoes
- mint
- Pepino
- Pineapple
- Gotu Kola – Centella asiatica
- Sugarcane
- mint
Harvesting
We harvest daily and as needed, depending on what we like to eat, cook, and/or what needs to be harvested. The February harvest list is based on what grows in our food forest and what is available, including fruit from our trees. As you might imagine, we don’t harvest everything every day. Many plants continue to grow, patiently waiting their turn to end up in the kitchen as green mulch (chop and drop), in the compost if they start taking over, or as food for our chickens, ducks, or worm farm. The possibilities are endless.
Perennials crop we harvest in March:
- Asian pears – Sunshu Nashi
- bush basil – Ocimum oxcitriodorum
- Ceylon Hill Gooseberry
- Cranberry Hibiscus – Hibiscus acetosella – leaves
- Galangal – Thai Ginger –Greater Galangal, Alpinia galangal – leaves and roots
- Gotu Kola – Centella asiatica – leaves
- Lemongrass – Cymbopogan citratus – leaves and stalks
- Longevity Spinach – Gynura procumbens – leaves and stalks
- Okinawa Spinach – Hawaiian lettuce – Gynura bicolour – leaves and stalks
- Peruvian Parsnip – Arracacia xanthorrhiza – leaves and roots
- Rosella – Roselle – leaves and calyx
- Tarragon, Estragon – Artemisia dracunculus – leaves and flowers
- Cassava – Manihot esculenta – leaves and roots
- Brahmi-Memory Plant – Waterhyssop – Bacopa monnieri – leaves
- Bana Grass – Pennisetum purpureum x amaricanum – leaves for mulch
- West Indian Arrowroot – Maranta arundinacea – root
- Sugarcane Red – Saccharum officinarum – cane, mostly to dry and store for smoking meat later on
- Sweet Leaf – Sauropus androgynous – leaves
- Elderberry – Sambucus Nigra – berries and flowers
- Alpine strawberries – Wild Strawberries – berries
- Aloe Vera
- Dragon fruit
- Guava – we have different varieties like Hawaiian, Giant Thai White, Strawberry, Lemon, and Malayan guava
- shallots
- garlic chives
- pineapples
- sweet potatoes – leaves and roots
- bananas
- passion fruit
- Pawpaw – leaves and fruits
- Horseradish leaves – leaves and roots
- limes and lemons
- Blackberry – leaves
- Star fruit – fruit
Short-living perennials and annuals we harvest in March:
- squash, tromboncino, zucchini, pumpkin
- Winged bean
- chilly, capsicum
- eggplant
- all sorts of herbs
- Asian Pigeonwings, Butterfly Pea – Clitoria Ternatea
- Okra – Abelmoschus esculentus
- West Indian Gherkins, Maroon Cucumber – Cucumis anguria
- Cucamelons
- Bottle Gourd, Calabash – Lagenaria siceraria and other gourds
- Luffa – Luffa aegyptiaca
- Armenian cucumber
- QLD Arrowrot – leaves for chickens and bulbs for us
Are you ready to transform your garden into a lush, productive paradise? Whether you’re starting a small veggie patch, a vibrant flower bed, or a thriving food forest, we’ve got you covered! Check out our online shop at www.foodforestseeds.au
If you would like to support our work, you can do so in many ways:
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*Buy a plant, cuttings, seeds, or my Food Forest Guide at https://www.foodforestseeds.au
*Buy us a coffee. Our PayPal email is permaculturehaven@gmail.com
How is your garden doing in March? I would love to hear from you! Comment below.
Happy Gardening!
Ewa
P.S. Don’t forget to visit my online shop to explore our wide selection of seeds, plants, and cuttings. Use the search function to find exactly what you’re looking for, and start your gardening journey today!
