March, the month of planting

At the end of March is when we change stations, the days will be longer and the temperature will start to rise. Spring can be gentle, but the third month of the year is a month that can alternate between hot days and weeks of intense cold.

For this reason, at the start of this month, the allotments need more irrigation, which will oblige us to water between at least five to seven times a week.

March is therefore the best month to start the summer seedlings such as tomato, eggplant, cucumber, zucchini and pepper.

At this stage it is time to plant maize, Swiss chard, artichokes and cabbage, which will be ready for harvesting as from May, including spinach, lettuce, melons and leeks.

It will also be an opportune moment to transplant the onions, which we must leave beteen them at least a minimum distance of ten centimeters (we advise you to plant them near the lettuce, radishes or tomatoes).

By the way, with the increase in temperature we can begin to see the first fungi, aphids or virus and therefore to protect our vegetables, we advise you to plant rosemary, lavender or sage which will encourage butterflies, ladybirds and other insects which feed on the aphids.

Sage is an aromatic and medicinal plant that grows well in Menorca because it needs a lot of sun. It also needs a well fertilized soil but we have to avoid the accumulation of water. As always, we have to plant these seeds with little soil and slight regular watering. The time of harvesting is just before the sage flowers. It has many beneficial properties for the central nervous system; it reduces the pain of gastritis, reduces inflammation of the upper respiratory tract and regulates hormones.