What to Plant in March in California
March in California is a split-season planting month: sow cool-season vegetables almost statewide, then add warm-season crops only where local frost risk and soil conditions allow. Gardens in different parts of the state can be in different planting seasons on the same day. Start by matching your crop list to your local frost pattern, then choose direct-sown seeds, transplants, herbs, flowers, and bulbs that suit it.
What March Planting Means in California
California gardeners do not share one spring calendar. Coastal gardens may have mild weather while inland valleys still have cool nights, and foothill or mountain gardens can remain vulnerable to frost long after tomatoes are going into gardens farther south.
That makes March especially useful for crops that tolerate cool conditions: leafy greens, peas, roots, brassicas, and several herbs. It is also a preparation month for tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, cucumbers, corn, melons, basil, and other warm-season crops.
A successful March garden fills beds now while reserving tender crops for the first reliably warm window in your own location.
USDA hardiness zones are useful for choosing perennial plants. Cold air settles in low spots, and a sheltered patio can be warmer than an open field only a short distance away.
How to Choose What to Plant in March
Use this guide to make the first March choice: plant cool crops, prepare for warm crops, or wait for a safer outdoor window.
| Garden Situation | Main March Planting Focus | Warm-Season Crop Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Mild coast or sheltered urban garden | Sow greens, peas, roots, and herbs; transplant leafy crops and brassicas | Consider tomatoes and other tender transplants only if frost is unlikely and the site is warm |
| Inland lowlands | Plant cool-season vegetables and continue succession sowing | Prepare beds and begin planting warm crops once local frost risk has passed |
| Central Valley | Direct sow cool-season crops and transplant brassicas, lettuce, and onions | Start or hold tomatoes, peppers, squash, and beans until weather is settled |
| Foothills, mountain valleys, and high desert | Plant hardy crops once soil is workable | Keep frost-sensitive crops protected or wait for a later planting window |
Step 1: Check Your Local Frost Window
Before planting tomatoes, peppers, basil, beans, squash, cucumbers, eggplant, melons, or corn outdoors, compare your garden with a local last-frost estimate. Among several lower-elevation California locations, planning dates range from January 21 through February 12: Fontana is January 21, Bakersfield is January 25, Huntington Beach and Modesto are February 1, Fresno is February 4, and Glendale is February 12.
The listed dates provide a planning range for several lower-elevation locations. Also account for your garden’s elevation, exposure, and tendency to collect cold air. A garden near the bottom of a slope can frost when nearby homes do not.
If frost remains possible, keep tender seedlings in containers or under protection rather than planting them into an exposed bed. Other vegetables can still make productive use of that space.
Step 2: Build a March Crop List
Choose cool-season crops to direct sow in March when the soil can be worked:
- Arugula
- Beets
- Bok choy
- Carrots
- Chard
- Cilantro
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Peas
- Radishes
- Spinach
- Turnips
These crops are usually better planted as transplants in March if you want to save garden time or start with larger plants:
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Chard
Set aside a separate warm-season list for later or for the warmest gardens:
- Tomatoes
- Peppers
- Eggplant
- Basil
- Beans
- Corn
- Cucumbers
- Melons
- Summer and winter squash
Direct-sow crops that dislike root disturbance, such as carrots, radishes, peas, beans, corn, and cucurbits. Use transplants for crops that benefit from a head start, including lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant.
Step 3: Prepare Beds Without Damaging Soil Structure
Do not work soil that is saturated enough to smear or clump heavily in your hand. Working wet soil can compact it, reducing the air spaces roots need and making spring growth harder.
Clear out spent plants, but leave healthy roots and crop residue where practical. Add finished compost to beds that need organic matter, then disturb the soil only as much as necessary to create a seedbed or transplanting hole. Rotate crop families when possible: do not repeatedly plant brassicas, tomatoes, or squash in the same spot just because that bed is convenient.
Plant seeds at the depth and spacing printed for that variety on the packet. Firm the soil gently around seeds and transplants so roots make contact with moist soil, then water carefully without washing seeds out of place.
Step 4: Finish With Protection and a Simple Check Routine
Mark each crop, record the planting date, and keep the seed zone consistently moist while seeds are sprouting. Check young plants after windy weather, heavy rain, or a cold forecast, since newly planted seedlings are more vulnerable than established crops.
Keep lightweight frost protection ready for tender plants if nights turn cold. Support fabric above plants when possible rather than laying plastic directly on foliage, and uncover plants once the weather improves so they receive light and airflow.
For direct-seeded beds, watch for crusted soil after rain, uneven moisture, or weed seedlings competing with your vegetables. Address those problems while plants are small instead of waiting until seedlings are crowded.
March Choices for Coastal and Southern California
Coastal and lower-elevation Southern California gardens can often plant through much of March. Lettuce, chard, carrots, peas, radishes, kale, cilantro, and parsley remain useful even when daytime temperatures feel springlike.
March can also be the beginning of tomato planting season in warm Southern California gardens. Tomatoes, peppers, basil, cucumbers, beans, and squash need a sunny site. A plant set into cold soil may survive but sit still for weeks, so waiting for stable warmth can be more productive than planting at the earliest possible date.
Use March to fill open space between warm-season transplants with quick cool-season crops. Radishes, salad greens, and baby-leaf greens are particularly useful for beds that will later hold summer vegetables.
March Choices for Central Valley, Foothill, and Mountain Gardens
March gardeners can make progress with cool-season crops. Prepare sunny beds for later summer crops.
Foothill, mountain, and high-desert gardeners should be more conservative. Plant hardy vegetables after the ground is workable. A short growing season makes early planning valuable.
Herbs, Flowers, and Bulbs to Plant in March
March is a good month to sow or transplant herbs that tolerate cool weather, including cilantro, parsley, dill, chives, and leafy herbs grown for frequent harvesting. Perennial culinary herbs such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, and sage can also be planted when the soil drains well and the site matches their need for sun.
For flowers, choose plants that fit your local spring conditions. California poppies, calendula, sweet peas, and other cool-tolerant annuals suit many gardens early in the month. In warmer areas, gardeners can also begin planting sunflower, cosmos, zinnia, and other summer flowers as frost risk fades.
Gladiolus corms, lily bulbs, and dahlia tubers are common March choices when the soil is no longer cold and soggy and frost risk is easing. Dahlias grow from tubers rather than true bulbs, but they are often sold and planted with spring bulb selections.
Do not expect newly planted tulips, daffodils, or hyacinths to perform like bulbs planted in fall. Those spring-flowering bulbs generally need a winter cooling period to develop and bloom well. If you want instant spring color in March, use nursery-grown flowering plants rather than trying to force a fall-planted bulb schedule into spring.
Keep March Plantings Growing
A March garden can fail from uneven moisture as easily as from cold. Seeds need moisture close to the surface while they germinate, while established transplants need water delivered around their root zones without continually soaking the entire bed.
Mulch is useful once plants are established and soil has begun to warm. It reduces surface evaporation, moderates temperature swings, and limits bare soil where weeds can establish. Keep mulch away from the stems of young transplants so air can circulate around them.
Inspect plants regularly instead of treating every issue the same way. Pale, slow plants may be dealing with cold soil, poor drainage, root disturbance, or nutrient limitations; chewed leaves may indicate a pest problem; wilt can mean either dry soil or waterlogged roots. Identify the growing condition before adding fertilizer or attempting pest control.
Good March planting is less about filling every bed immediately and more about placing each crop in its proper season.
Keep a short record of what you planted, where it went, and how it performed. Those notes will show which parts of your property warm earliest, which beds drain best, and which crops are worth planting earlier or later next March.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can you plant in the month of March in California?
Most California gardeners can plant cool-season vegetables in March, including lettuce, spinach, peas, radishes, carrots, beets, chard, kale, broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower. Warm-season crops such as tomatoes, peppers, beans, cucumbers, squash, melons, corn, and basil are appropriate only when local frost risk has passed and the planting site is warm enough for active growth.
Can I plant tomatoes in March in California?
Yes, many mild Southern California gardens can plant tomato transplants in March, especially in sheltered, sunny locations. Wait until the local last-frost period has passed and cold nights are no longer likely before setting tomato plants outdoors.
What bulbs can I plant in March in the Central Valley?
Plant summer-blooming choices such as gladiolus corms, lily bulbs, and dahlia tubers when soil has begun to dry and warm in spring. Skip fall-planted spring bulbs such as tulips and daffodils if you expect a normal spring bloom, because they need winter chilling before flowering.
Should I direct sow or use transplants in March?
Direct sow carrots, radishes, peas, beets, spinach, lettuce, beans, corn, cucumbers, and squash when local conditions fit the crop. Use transplants for broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, kale, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant when you want plants that are already established.
Do I need to protect March plantings from frost?
Protect tender crops whenever a frost is possible, especially tomatoes, peppers, basil, beans, squash, cucumbers, eggplant, and melons. Cool-season crops are more tolerant, but newly planted seedlings still benefit from shelter during severe wind, heavy rain, or unusually cold nights.
