Produced by
Patti Moreno
Contributor to:
Square Foot Gardening Tips: April
April Showers bring May flowers! In this video, Mel and I are going to give you some quick fun hints about what you should be doing in your garden during this exciting time for vegetable gardeners, the beginning of spring.
It’s April and so everyone is starting to plant! For those of you who started inside, there is a transition that must take place for your plants or else they will struggle with the suddenness of being moved outside. Although it is April, it’s not necessarily as warm as you think or certainly not warm, consistently. Your seedlings have become accustomed to the very stable environment that you have set up inside. Outside it may be cooler on some days or in the evenings and it may even rain heavily! And there will also be wind that they are not accustomed to.
Mel suggests that you take your plants outside gradually by hardening them off. Start by placing the cool weather crop seedling trays of your cool weather crops for a few hours each day, gradually increasing the time they spend outside until they can be out there all day. Plant your seedlings and cover with a hoop house to protect them from the last few frosts that can occur in early spring.
Because April is also the time for rainfall, it is a great and eco-conscious time to collect rainwater. All you have to do is use an old-fashioned rain barrel and connect it to the bottom of your downspout or you can purchase an affordable plastic container that will hold the water as well.
The good thing about collecting rainwater is that it costs you nothing and the water is not filled with chemicals that are typically found in municipal water.
See you next month when we talk about the beginnings of summer!
Proudly Sponsored by:
Back to Gardening Tips
Questions? Visit our Messageboard!
More at our Urban Farm Magazine!
