Timely Tips

What to Do in March 2026
Weekly Gardening Timely Tips from
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester County

March 8 to 14

Perennials: You can turn anoccasionally wet patchfed by the downspoutfrom eyesore toeyeful by planting a rain garden. These gardens, only a few inches deep, hold water for just a day or so. Plants in a rain garden slow the rate of stormwater runoff, help to reduce flooding and erosion, and provide food and habitat for wildlife. Contact your local Cooperative Extension for advice.

Flowers: Pot up seedlings into larger containers as necessary. Keep them under bright lights.

Fruits and vegetables: Are you an optimist willing to take a gamble? If the soil is sufficiently dry and crumbly and you have a cold frame, individual cloches, or a warmer, well-protected area, consider planting small amounts of lettuce, radish, scallion, spinach, and seeds of other hardy greens outdoors now. Hardy peas that need to be trellised can be planted directly in a warmer spot in the garden under a row cover. Weather permitting, you’ll have an extra early harvest this spring (and if the weather ends up not cooperating, you won’t have lost much). While you are in the garden, look for spotted lanternfly (SLF) egg masses which may be present on trees and many landscape surfaces. SLF is a major agricultural threat that can kill crops (grapes, fruit trees and others) and affect landscape plants. Seehttps://nysipm.cornell.edu/environment/invasive-species-exotic-pests/spotted-lanternfly/Crush as many eggs as you can find. Use a card to scrape them off of surfaces into a sealable bag, squish, and discard in trash.

Trees and Shrubs: If the soil is workable and nearing 50°F at a depth of 2 inches, you can begin to plant bare root and dormant deciduous trees if you are willing to protect them from extreme cold (and wind if you have evergreens) if this occurs. Woody plants benefit from at least 8 weeks of cool conditions for roots to begin to get established before heat arrives. If your soil is dry enough to be worked, you may plant your woodies now. Those that prefer spring planting include birch, cherry, dogwood, evergreens, ginkgo, golden rain tree, magnolia, pear, plum, oak, tulip tree and willow, among others. Broadleaved evergreens do best in protected settings.

Lawns: You might see hairy bittercress, dandelion, and other overwintering plants emerging in the lawn as the snow melts. Some of these flowering plants provide an early food source for pollinators, and you can remove them before they begin to produce seed and spread widely.

Houseplants: To recover the natural shape and form of leggy houseplants, carefully prune back stems to healthy out-facing buds. Provide brighter lighting to help promote bushy growth.

General: Join us as we discuss climate anxiety in the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester 2026 Home Garden Lecture Series: Climate Anxiety: How to Help.

Wednesday, Mar. 18 from 10 to 11 am, remote on Zoom, $5. All lectures are remote on Zoom. A ticket to any single remote lecture is $5 and the tour is $20 (while there is space).

Speaker: Dr. Matt Aiello-Lammens is an Associate Professor in the Environmental Studies and Science department at Pace University. He has studied anthropogenic impacts on plant communities, risks associated with species declines, and factors leading to invasive species spread with an eye toward understanding and protecting northeastern forests. Matt Aiello-Lammens has BA in Physics, a PhD in Ecology and Evolution, and was a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Connecticut.

Check out the brochure at https://www.canva.com/design/DAG37gykNic/RGq-kIdH95APY6-bKoGQYw/view?utm_content=DAG37gykNic&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=hcc45ab7c29 For more information, please call CCE at 914-285-4640, 914-285-4620 or email westchester@cornell.edu

Last updated March 7, 2026