This Month in Your Garden - March

‘Autumn arrives in the early morning, but spring at the close of a winter day.’ -  Elizabeth Bowen

Whatever the weather, March is going to be a busy month because nature is irrepressible and once winter has bowed out around mid-March the show begins. Assuming you don’t have a carpet of snow, early month is usually best approached with general tasks of clearing and preparation, cutting back and tidying up. Hedges need trimming back before birds start nesting.

The Lawn Care Guide - March

Time to mow

The time has arrived, out with the garden tractor or mower, set the deck to the right height and away you go. That is assuming the ambient soil temperature has the grass growing and needing a haircut. That’s all it should be to begin with.

Lawn Care: Questions & Answers

Q. Can I make my own top dressing or do I need to buy it in?

The Vegetable Plot - March

Sow far, sow good

If you would like a supply of celery from October onwards and through the winter, now is the time to sow. Growing traditional celery takes a lot of effort but it’s well worth it for the flavour and in cooking it’s so versatile. Easier to grow is the self-blanching variety but it will still need humous rich soil and plenty of watering and feeding. Start from seed under heated glass in March and April.

The Big Glut Recipe - March

Shepherd’s Pie with lamb shank

A shepherd's pie recipe by Caroline Barty, using tender, braised lamb shank to elevate this favourite to something special.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, peeled and cut into 2cm-thick slices
• 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled, plus 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 sprigs rosemary
• 6 small lamb shanks
• 500ml medium-bodied red wine
• 3 tablespoons sunflower or rapeseed oil
• 2 leeks, trimmed, washed and cut into 1cm rounds
• 2 sticks celery, finely sliced
• 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
• 2 heaped tablespoons plain flour