What to plant in March in the South

Worked out for 46 cities from their own weather and frost dates, by zone.

What to sow and plant in March in the South, by zone: frost-free, highs of 72–82 °F (New Orleans, Baton Rouge and 2 more): peas, beet, tomato, bell pepper, zucchini and 30 more; frost-free, highs of 61–72 °F (Savannah, Charleston and 3 more): peas, beet, tomato, bell pepper, zucchini and 29 more; frost possible, highs of 61–72 °F (Atlanta, Nashville and 22 more): broad bean, peas, onion, lettuce, radish and 35 more; frost possible, highs of 50–61 °F (Washington, D.C., Louisville and 11 more): broad bean, peas, onion, spinach, lettuce and 24 more.

In the South, March is spring.

Frost-free, highs of 72–82 °F: New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Mobile and Lafayette

In March, on average, these cities have highs of 72 to 73 °F and lows of 55 to 58 °F, 4.7 to 5.1 in of rain on 11 to 12 days; the day lasts 11 h 57 min (on the 15th).

No frost in March in 10 years of data: frost-tender crops can go in too, if it is warm enough for them.

How	What	Where
sow direct	Peas, beet, green beans, sweet corn, parsley, cilantro, arugula, bok choy, borage, chamomile, chayote, corn, dill, Florence fennel, kiwano, mustard greens, Napa cabbage	all
start indoors, plant out in May	Tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, chili pepper, moringa	all
sow direct or start indoors, plant out in April	Zucchini, watermelon, pumpkin, basil, luffa, okra, peanut	all
start indoors, plant out in April	Cucumber, melon, achocha	all
start indoors, plant out in June	Celeriac, celery	all
sow direct	Soybean	New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette

Compared with February: new — soybean; no longer sown — broad bean, onion, lettuce, radish, cabbage, Swiss chard, chickpea, kohlrabi and 1 more.

Not starting in March: lettuce (October, started indoors) and spinach (November, started indoors) — dates for New Orleans.

Ready to harvest in March in New Orleans, if sown in the right month: broad bean (December), peas (January), lettuce (January), radish (February), carrot (January), cabbage (November), broccoli (December) and Swiss chard (January).

Frost-free, highs of 61–72 °F: Savannah, Charleston, Jackson, Shreveport and 1 more

In March, on average, these cities have highs of 68 to 71 °F and lows of 51 to 56 °F, 3.1 to 6.4 in of rain on 8 to 13 days; the day lasts 11 h 56 min to 11 h 57 min (on the 15th).

No frost in March in 10 years of data: frost-tender crops can go in too, if it is warm enough for them.

How	What	Where
sow direct	Peas, beet, sweet corn, parsley, cilantro, arugula, bok choy, borage, chamomile, chayote, corn, dill, Florence fennel, kiwano, mustard greens, Napa cabbage	all
sow direct	Lettuce, radish, Swiss chard, kohlrabi	Charleston
start indoors, plant out in May	Tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, chili pepper, moringa	all
start indoors, plant out in April	Zucchini, cucumber, melon, watermelon, pumpkin, basil, achocha, luffa, okra, peanut	all
sow direct	Green Beans	Savannah, Shreveport and Gulfport
start indoors, plant out in June	Celeriac, celery	all

Compared with February: new — green beans, borage and corn; no longer sown — broad bean, onion, carrot, cabbage, broccoli, chickpea, shallot, daikon and 2 more.

Not starting in March: spinach (November, started indoors) — dates for Jackson.

Ready to harvest in March in Jackson, if sown in the right month: broad bean (December), peas (January), spinach (January), lettuce (January), radish (February), carrot (January), cabbage (November) and broccoli (December).

Frost possible, highs of 61–72 °F: Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte, Oklahoma City and 20 more

In March, on average, these cities have highs of 61 to 71 °F and lows of 41 to 51 °F, 2.6 to 6.7 in of rain on 7 to 13 days; the day lasts 11 h 55 min to 11 h 57 min (on the 15th).

March falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait. Average last frost: Atlanta (March 15), Nashville (March 24), Charlotte (March 19), Oklahoma City (March 14), Memphis (March 10), Raleigh (March 13), Tulsa (March 6), Richmond (March 26), Little Rock (March 3), Birmingham (United States) (March 10), Knoxville (March 29), Montgomery (March 1), Columbia (March 9), Huntsville (March 20), Fayetteville (March 30), Fort Smith (March 16), Macon (March 5), Athens (United States) (March 12), Bowling Green (March 31), Greensboro (March 23), Wilmington (March 8), Lawton (March 1), Greenville (March 19) and Chattanooga (March 20).

How	What	Where
sow direct	Broad bean, cabbage, chickpea	Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte and 12 more
sow direct	Peas, beet, parsley, cilantro, arugula, chamomile, dill, mustard greens	all
plant sets	Onion, shallot	Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte and 12 more
sow direct	Lettuce, Swiss chard, kohlrabi	Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte and 17 more
sow direct	Radish	Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte and 19 more
start indoors, plant out in May	Tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, chili pepper, Florence fennel, moringa	Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte and 20 more
start indoors, plant out in April	Zucchini, cucumber, melon, watermelon, pumpkin, sweet corn, basil, achocha, bok choy, kiwano, luffa, Napa cabbage, okra, peanut	all
start indoors, plant out in June	Celeriac, celery, chayote	Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte and 20 more
sow direct	Daikon	Nashville, Knoxville, Huntsville and 2 more

Compared with February: new — zucchini, cucumber, melon, watermelon, pumpkin, sweet corn, basil, achocha and 6 more; no longer sown — spinach, carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, parsnip and turnip.

Not starting in March: green beans (April, sown direct) and spinach (October, started indoors) — dates for Memphis.

Ready to harvest in March in Memphis, if sown in the right month: broad bean (December), peas (January), spinach (January), lettuce (January), radish (February), cabbage (November), broccoli (December) and Swiss chard (January).

Frost possible, highs of 50–61 °F: Washington, D.C., Louisville, Baltimore, Lexington and 9 more

In March, on average, these cities have highs of 54 to 60 °F and lows of 35 to 44 °F, 3.0 to 4.7 in of rain on 9 to 13 days; the day lasts 11 h 54 min to 11 h 55 min (on the 15th).

March falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait. Average last frost: Washington, D.C. (March 31), Baltimore (March 31), Dover (March 28), Annapolis (March 29) and Virginia Beach (March 8).

How	What	Where
sow direct	Broad bean, peas, lettuce, radish, cabbage, Swiss chard, beet, arugula, chamomile, daikon, dill, mustard greens	all
plant sets	Onion, shallot	all
sow direct	Spinach	Washington, D.C., Louisville, Baltimore and 8 more
sow direct	Carrot, broccoli, kale, parsnip	Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Lexington and 8 more
start indoors, plant out in April	Cauliflower	Morgantown
start indoors, plant out in May	Tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, chili pepper, Florence fennel, moringa	all
start indoors, plant out in April	Zucchini, cucumber, melon, watermelon, pumpkin, sweet corn, basil, achocha, bok choy, kiwano, Napa cabbage, peanut	Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Dover and 2 more
sow direct or start indoors, plant out in May	Parsley	Virginia Beach and Morgantown
sow direct	Cilantro, chickpea	Virginia Beach
start indoors, plant out in June	Celeriac, celery, chayote	all
start indoors, plant out in April or sow direct	Kohlrabi	Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Lexington and 8 more
sow direct	Turnip	Baltimore, Dover and Morgantown
start indoors, plant out in April	Luffa	Washington, D.C. and Virginia Beach

Compared with February: new — zucchini, cucumber, melon, watermelon, pumpkin, sweet corn, cilantro, basil and 7 more; no longer sown — Brussels sprouts.

Not starting in March: green beans (May, sown direct) — dates for Lexington.

Ready to harvest in March in Lexington, if sown in the right month: radish (February), cabbage (November) and arugula (February).

How we work it out

For each city we use its average weather in March and the months after (highs, lows and rain for 2016–2025, ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo) and its average frost dates. A crop starts in March if the month's mean temperature reaches the minimum soil temperature for germination on its card (we use the mean air temperature as a stand-in for the soil's) and if, over its first months (up to three), the average highs stay within its group's range, with no frost for crops that cannot take it. Crops started indoors count from the month they are planted out.

Temperature groups from Colorado State University Extension: cool-season crops prefer 60–80 °F and lose quality in heat; hardy ones grow in days as cool as 40 °F, semi-hardy ones from 40–50 °F (we use 50 °F); warm-season crops need days above 55 °F, and the most tender (tomato, pepper, eggplant, melon, watermelon, squash) above 60 °F, up to 95 °F. Crops the guide does not name go into the stricter group by their frost hardiness. Fava (broad) beans, which the guide does not name, count as hardy: hardy varieties are sown in fall and overwinter (RHS). Garlic and bulbs: a month before the first frost, and later only while the ground is not frozen (as on each city's page).

This is a general rule from averages: your garden can be a week or two earlier or later, and a greenhouse or a cold frame brings the season forward. Greenly works out the dates for your location.