What to plant in March in Italy
16 vegetables, fruits and herbs to sow or plant in March in Italy, for the climate around Umbria and Marche border, central Italy (Perugia–Terni area).
Climate: Cold winters with frosts down to about -3 °C from November to February, hot dry summers peaking near 38 °C, and a wet autumn and winter with the heaviest rain from October to February, while June to August are nearly rainless.
Vegetables
Lettuce Lactuca sativa
Mild spring and autumn suit it, and summer shade avoids bolting.
Harvest: 45–60 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Spinach Spinacia oleracea
Cool wet seasons give sweet, tender leaves and it tolerates light frost.
Harvest: 40–50 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Onion Allium cepa
Sets planted in late winter mature before the summer heat.
Harvest: 100–150 daysEasyCare guide →
Pea Pisum sativum
Cool spring and autumn weather suits it and it can be sown twice a year.
Harvest: 60–70 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Broad bean Vicia faba
Hardy against winter frost and fixes nitrogen in the bed.
Harvest: 90–120 daysEasy
Carrot Daucus carota
Loose soil and mild autumn weather give sweet, well-formed roots.
Harvest: 70–80 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Beetroot Beta vulgaris
Tolerates both spring cool and summer heat, giving a long harvest window.
Harvest: 55–70 daysEasyIn pots
Fruits
Apple Malus domestica
Needs winter chill and hardy trees thrive in this cold-winter climate.
Harvest: 3–5 yearsEasyCare guide →
Fig Ficus carica
Thrives in hot dry summers and tolerates the mild winters of this region.
Harvest: 2–3 yearsEasyIn potsCare guide →
Olive Olea europaea
Native to this Mediterranean-type climate and handles the hot dry summers.
Harvest: 3–5 yearsModerateIn potsCare guide →
Strawberry Fragaria × ananassa
Cool springs and hardy crowns give a productive June harvest.
Harvest: 90–120 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Blackberry Rubus fruticosus
Hardy canes handle winter frost and the wet spring season suits fruiting.
Harvest: 2 yearsEasy
Herbs
Rosemary Salvia rosmarinus
Drought-tolerant Mediterranean shrub that copes with dry summers and mild winters.
Harvest: 60–90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Thyme Thymus vulgaris
Hardy and drought-tolerant, it suits the hot dry summers.
Harvest: 70–90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Parsley Petroselinum crispum
Cool seasons suit its growth and it tolerates light frost.
Harvest: 70–90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Mint Mentha spicata
Hardy perennial that thrives with the spring and autumn rains.
Harvest: 60–90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →