Annuals 

• Acclimate warm-season annual transplants that you’ve been growing indoors to the outdoors over a 2 week period by taking them outside for a couple of hours a day, gradually increasing the time, until they are used to the sunshine and cool nights.
• Direct seed warm-season annuals into the garden once the danger of frost has passed San Antonio.
• Keep your new annuals watered consistently; this may mean watering 1 to 2 times a week IF no rain. Soil should be moist but not soggy.
• Offer new annual transplants a diluted water-soluble fertilizer at planting and for the first four weeks of their life. Begin a monthly granular fertilizer program afterwards. Annuals are heavy feeders.
• Watch new annuals closely for caterpillars munching or aphids sucking their sap. Early detection is key in pest control.

• Plant summer-flowering bulbs (canna, elephant ears, caladium, etc..)  Selections at the nursery should be great this month. Buy your caladium tubers while we have them in stock, BUT WAIT to plant them until soil temp is consistently 70 degrees or higher.
  • Add plant markers when you plant your bulbs. It’s easy to forget where they are. 
• If established bulbs need dividing, do so this month, or by April at the latest. Tip: (Most bulbs benefit from dividing every 2-3 years),
• Remove spent flowers and seedpods from existing spring-flowering bulbs, but leave the green foliage alone.
• Fertilize existing bulbs if you didn’t last month. (Espoma Bulb-Tone).

• Complete all planting and transplanting of trees this month if you can. They can be planted throughout the year but you will need to be hyper vigilant about their water needs, as roots struglle to develop and grow through the heat of summer. (Fall is the best time to plant shrubs and trees, with early spring being a close runner up.)
• Redbuds and Texas Mountain Laurels will start putting on a bloom show. 
• Prune crape myrtles in mid to late March for shaping. Do not cut their tops off.
  • Thou Shalt Not Commit Crape Murder
  • Crape Myrtles: Let Colors Help You Choose (plus growing tips)
• Apply a 3-4” layer of mulch around trees if you haven’t already. Tip: NEVER pile mulch directly against trunks!

Herbs:

• Great time to start annual and perennial herb gardens, the selection at the nursery should be great. 
• Plant cilantro early to enjoy through spring; it will go to seed fast once the hot weather rolls in.
• If planting basil, watch weather forecast ans protect if temps get below 50ºF.
• Herb Planting and Care Guide

Veggies:

• If you haven’t planned and prepped for your warm weather veggie and herb gardens, don’t delay. We have short growing seasons in San Antonio, so we plant early. (Keep frost protection handy until all danger of frost has cleared.)
• Basic Needs for Growing Vegetables
• The first set of potted tomatoes can be placed in the garden by March 15th.  Place row cover fabric around the cages for protection from wind and cool nights.
• You should be able to find tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, and many more warm weather veggie transplants at the nursery now. Put some Espoma Bio-Tone inthe bottom of your planting holes and then water in your veggies with a diluted water soluble fertilizer like Medina Hasta Gro, to get you plants off to a great start.
• Take some time browsing our site for veggie info. There is a ton of help waiting for you.
• Don’t have tons of room? Veggies and herbs can be grown successfully in containers.
• 2026 Rodeo Tomato is Polbig; rodeo tomatoes are always a good choice for our area.
• Direct seed in your prepared gardens that has been raked smooth. 
• Tip: Newly seeded beds need frequent light watering to keep the bed moist. Established veggies need more infrequent, deeper watering.
• Keep an eye out for cabbage loopers and aphids on cool-season veggies, BT controls caterpillars, and a spray of insecticidal soap can control aphids. But beware of spraying plants that are larval food sources for butterflies, or you will be killing them too.