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March begins on Tuesday, and even though some of February’s temperatures have been in the 80s, more cold weather could still be in our future.  

For information on our upcoming plant sales, an upcoming class series and ideas of activities to do in your yard, continue reading.

Our next Brevard Discovery Garden monthly plant sale is 10 a.m. to noon Friday, March 4, at the BDG nursery, and only cash and checks will be accepted. Some of the edible plants that will be available that day are a small selection of vegetables such as Everglades tomatoes, broccoli, celery, Datil peppers (this variety is still uncommon and rare) and herbs. We will also have succulent plants and a variety of native and Florida-Friendly plants available, so stop by if you can. The Brevard Discovery Garden is at 3695 Lake Drive, Cocoa.

 We have a large plant sale, that will include multiple vendors joining us, set for Saturday and Sunday, March 26 and 27. Saturday’s sale will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday's is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Check out the Brevard Discovery Garden Facebook page for more details.

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We will have a lot of spring/summer vegetables, including a variety of cherry tomatoes, slicing tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers (both slicing and pickling types), green and yellow summer squash, patty pan squash, jalapeños and bell peppers, Datil peppers, broccoli rabe, a few types of melons (including some miniature varieties), green beans, purple beans, a few types of lettuce, arugula, celery, cabbage, a variety of herbs and both culinary and herb combination pots.

We also have a large variety of Keystone Species like black-eyed Susan and goldenrod, plus staghorn ferns and succulent plants. A new item for this sale will be grow bags planted with specialty carrots and watermelon radishes.

In addition, we have new ceramic pots (windowsill size) in beautiful colors for Easter and Mother’s Day, along with small hanging baskets with special mints, for anyone who celebrates the Kentucky Derby, and colorful hanging pots with a hand-painted (by our artistic Master Gardener) metal flower or butterfly that is attached to the pot and filled with a flowering plant.

So, if you need great gifts for the spring holidays, teachers etc. come check out the possibilities.  

Are you new to the area or having issues in your landscape? Come discover how to grow plants in our sandy soils and receive the answers to all your landscaping and gardening questions in the eight-week Florida-Friendly Landscaping Class Series.

The classes will be from 9 a.m. to noon Tuesdays, covering two topics each morning. A Zoom link will be available for those who prefer to participate remotely. The will be March 29, then April 12-May 24 at the UF/IFAS Extension Office, 3695 Lake Drive, Cocoa. Cost is $75.  For more information, check out this link 2022fflclassseries.eventbrite.com.

This is the first month that it would be fine to fertilize your lawn or landscape, but you can still wait one more month. Be sure to wait until the plants are actively growing though before you fertilize.

Now's the time to sod, plug, seed lawns

This month you can sod, plug or seed new lawns and bare spots. For the greatest benefit, inoculate the planting hole (for plugs) or the ground (for sod and seed) with a granular inoculant containing a mixture of both endo and ectomycorrhizae. For more information on this important topic, email me at sasc@ufl.edu.

When mowing, let the grass clippings fall so the organic matter and nutrients return to the soil!  Begin mowing weekly to keep weeds from being able to set seed.

Flowers that can be planted (or sown) this month include gaillardia*, coreopsis*, tropical sage* (Saliva coccinea), ageratum, amaranthus, blue salvia, celosia, coleus, cosmos, Dahlberg daisy, gazania, gomphrena, impatiens, sun impatiens and lisianthus, marigolds, melampodium, portulaca, red salvia, sunflower, vinca and zinnia. Don’t forget the inoculant for these also.

Bulbs to plant in shady areas include achimenes, Amazon lilies, caladiums, eucharis lily and walking iris. For moist areas plant canna, Louisiana iris, blue flag iris and walking iris. In sunny areas, plant amaryllis (be sure to plant the bulbs high so that the top half of the bulb is above the soil line, or they won’t flower), blackberry lily, crinum lily, day lily, rain lilies and society garlic.

Some herbs that can be planted now include basil, chives, garlic chives, dill, fennel, sweet marjoram, rosemary, mint, sage and thyme.

Continue (or begin) spraying the foliage of fruit trees and vegetables plants with liquid seaweed (i.e., Maxicrop soluble powder, liquid kelp, etc.) solution on a weekly basis.

Speaking of supplying plants with trace elements for better health and nutrition, also consider re-mineralizing the soil for fruit crops, vegetables, and herbs by broadcasting volcanic rock powder (i.e., Azomite, etc.).  Rock powders are also beneficial for ornamentals, so if any of your plants are having issues, give them some also.

Vegetables that can be planted in March include arugula, beans (bush, pole and lima), cantaloupes, carrots, celery, Chinese cabbage, cucumbers, kohlrabi, okra, bunching onions (green onions and shallots), Southern peas, peppers, radish, spinach, squash, sweet corn, sweet potatoes, Swiss chard and watermelon. Inoculate the beans and peas with nitrogen-fixing bacteria labelled for peas and beans and around the other vegetables with free-living nitrogen fixing bacteria. The vegetable plants can also be inoculated with endomycorrhizae. 

Vegetable seeds that can be started now, for planting in April, include beans (bush, pole and lima), Chinese cabbage, okra, Southern peas, squash, sweet corn and Swiss chard.

Some of the fresh produce that could be found at local farmers markets this month are cabbage, cauliflower, cucumbers, eggplant, grapefruit, oranges, papaya, tangerine and tomatoes. The Brevard County Farmers Market is held from 3-6 p.m. every Thursday at the Wickham Park Pavilion in Melbourne, and from 3-6 p.m. the second and fourth Fridays of the month across from Titusville Welcome Center, 419 S. Hopkins Ave. 

Sally Scalera is an urban horticulture agent and master gardener coordinator for the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences. Email sasc@ufl.edu.

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