March garden tasks: Southeast
March in the Southeast is the busiest garden month of the year. Zones 7--9 cover a wide range -- from coastal Virginia (zone 7b, last frost March 20) to coastal Florida (zone 10, frost-free year-round) -- but across this band, March is when spring planting accelerates sharply and the gardening.
March in the Southeast is the busiest garden month of the year. Zones 7—9 cover a wide range — from coastal Virginia (zone 7b, last frost March 20) to coastal Florida (zone 10, frost-free year-round) — but across this band, March is when spring planting accelerates sharply and the gardening calendar is the most compressed.
Per Clemson HGIC, the last average frost dates for key Southeast cities: Raleigh NC March 24, Charlotte NC March 21, Columbia SC March 16, Atlanta GA March 13, Nashville TN March 17. Coastal areas (Wilmington NC, Savannah GA, Charleston SC) are frost-free by early March in most years.
Warm-season vegetable transplanting (zones 7b—8)
Per NC State Extension, timing for setting out warm-season transplants after last frost:
- Tomatoes: set out after March 20—25 in zone 7b; after March 10—15 in zone 8a. Use transplants grown 6—8 weeks prior.
- Peppers: slightly later than tomatoes — wait until nights are consistently above 55°F; typically late March in zone 8a
- Squash and cucumbers: direct seed or transplant late March in zone 8; these germinate and grow fast enough that direct seeding is often preferred over transplants
- Beans: direct seed after March 15—20 in zones 7b—8; soil temperature 60°F minimum
Per Clemson HGIC, zone 7b (Charlotte, Raleigh) gardeners should wait until late March for tomato transplants. Zone 8 (Columbia SC, Atlanta) gardeners can safely plant after March 10—15 in most years.