What's in season: March

Greens and parsley growing in the Kitchen Garden at Upton House, Warwickshire

Spring is most definitely in the air, and the great outdoors is calling us to get out and about, whether it's in our gardens or taking in the spring scenery.

Although we're still eating winter vegetables this month, things are getting exciting on the plots as they start to burst into life - promising tasty dishes later in the year.
 

Our flavour of the month is parsley

Five things you probably didn't know about this versatile herb:
  • Parsley contains three times more vitamin C than an orange
  • The Ancient Greeks believed that parsley grew from the blood of a slain hero, Archemorus
  • Parsley was used to mask the smell of the dead
  • Parsley is the most commonly used herb in America
  • The BBC children's show The Herbs featured a friendly green lion called Parsley
 

Also in season

Spring green cabbage, savoy cabbage, cauliflower, kale and leeks.
 

Jobs for the garden

You can get cracking with sowing this month. Broad beans, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, leeks and beetroots can all be sown outdoors if the ground is warm enough. Early varieties of potatoes can be planted out in March, as can shallots. You can start tomato seeds and celery off this month indoors in preparation for later in the year.