Your March Homestead Checklist For An Off-Grid Home

Winter leaves panels grubby. Dust, bird droppings and soon a yellow coat of pollen settle on the glass, like dirt on a window.

Researchers at NREL, the US national solar lab, measured what that costs. Pollen cut a panel's output by up to 15%. Panels that were never washed lost about 10% of their power over a year.

You might think rain does the job. It doesn't, at least not for pollen. In the same tests, panels brushed with a soft wet brush right after rain made 5 to 11% more power.

So pick a cool morning, use plain water and a soft brush, and stay safe on the ladder. Our guide to cleaning and maintaining solar panels shows what to use and what to avoid.

While you're at the panels, take a slow look around from the ground. Winter storms shake things loose.

Look for cables that hang or rub, cracked glass and frames that have shifted. Inside, check that the battery area is dry and that nothing has chewed the wires.

March is the first month in a while when the battery fills up before lunch on a clear day. Once it's full, any extra sun is simply lost.

So move the hungry jobs into sunny afternoons. Run the washing machine, pump water up to the tank and charge tools while the panels are busy.

If you collect rainwater, the gutters are the start of your water supply. Autumn leaves and winter storms leave them clogged.

Texas wildlife and water experts say to clean the roof, gutters and screens twice a year: in spring and again in autumn after the leaves drop. Check the leaf screens too. Their mesh holes are only about 6 mm wide, so they clog fast.

The first rain off a roof is the dirtiest. It carries the dust, pollen and bird and rodent droppings that piled up since the last shower.

A first-flush diverter catches that dirty water and sends it away, so the cleaner rain after it goes into the tank. The Texas rainwater manual says to empty it after each rain, so it's ready for the next. Our guide to rainwater harvesting explains the whole system, roof to tap.

So what do you plant in March? The tough, early crops of the season that don't mind cold feet.

Peas come first. They're one of the first seeds that can go directly into the garden. The University of Maryland says peas can be sown once the soil is at least about 4 °C, a little warmer than a fridge. A cheap soil thermometer, pushed in a few centimetres, tells you.

Then the potatoes you set out to sprout in February. The RHS, Britain's big gardening charity, says first early potatoes go in around late March, a bit later in colder places and earlier in milder ones.

Dig a trench about 15 cm deep, set them in with the sprouts facing up, and cover them over. Give each one about 30 cm of space, with rows about 60 cm apart.

The young shoots don't like frost. If cold weather is forecast for a night once they're up, the RHS says to cover them overnight with straw, a cloche or a bit of soil. Pulling soil up around the stems as they grow, called "earthing up", protects them from frost damage too.

Onion sets are the third early crop. These are baby onions that get a head start, and the RHS says they're usually planted in early to mid-spring, about 10 to 15 cm apart. Birds love to pull them up, so lay netting or fleece over the row until they've rooted in.

Before you prepare a garden bed, check the soil. Spring soil is often soaked. Digging it wet squashes out the air, and the soil dries into hard lumps like a mud pie in the sun.

Purdue University's garden experts use a simple test. Grab a handful and squeeze.

If it crumbles when you poke it, it's ready. If it stays a sticky, muddy ball, wait a few more days.

The tomatoes and peppers sown indoors last month are growing fast now. Keep the light close above them and the soil damp, not soggy.

When the first "true leaves" show, the ones that look like the grown-up plant, it's time to move each seedling into its own bigger pot. The University of Maryland says to do it then, while they're still small and bounce back quickly.

Still more to start indoors? Maryland gives cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower 4 to 6 weeks before planting outside, and leafy greens just 2 to 4. If your last frost comes late, a March sowing of these is right on time. Getting them used to the outdoors is April's job.

Our guide to the off-grid garden covers what plants need to grow well.

In most of Europe and North America, the clocks jump forward in March. The CDC uses that day as a reminder: check the batteries in your carbon monoxide alarms.

It's an easy habit to pin to a date you won't forget. Do the smoke alarms at the same time.

The sun is still fairly low in March, so it shines deep into south-facing windows. That's free heat.

Open the curtains on sunny days and let it fall on stone, brick or tile floors. Those heavy materials soak up warmth during the day and give it back in the evening. Our guide to off-grid heating explains why the cheapest heat is the heat you keep.

Last year's compost heap is probably ready. The EPA says finished compost is dark, loose and crumbly, and smells like fresh soil.

If it smells like ammonia, the sharp smell of some cleaning sprays, or like rotten eggs, Oregon State University says it isn't done yet. Give it a few more weeks.

Oregon State also gives amounts. Spread 7.5 to 10 cm on a brand new bed and dig it in, and spread up to about 2.5 cm a year on established beds you already use. Our guide to home composting shows how to start the next batch.

Once the old heap is empty, start the next one for next season. Spring brings lots of "greens", like the first grass clippings and weeds without seeds.

Mix them with the dry "browns" you saved over winter, like leaves and shredded cardboard. The EPA counts plant stalks and twigs as browns too, and says to use about two to three times as much brown as green.

The garden hands you plenty of both this month. The RHS says most gardeners start cutting back last year's dead perennial stems and grasses from March. They were left standing all winter because they give wildlife food and shelter. Cut above the new growth at the base, never through it.

The stems can go on the heap, but not ripening seed heads, and the EPA says to keep diseased plants out.

Fruit trees are on the list too. The RHS says winter pruning of apple and pear trees runs from November to early March, so finish it at the start of the month. Remove the dead, diseased and damaged branches first.

While you're in the borders, summer-flowering perennials can be split. The RHS says to divide them in spring, from March to May, and every two to three years keeps the plants healthy.