April: in the garden
maria All Articles, Growing in a Box, Outdoor Gardening April, gardening by the month, outdoor gardening, seed starting 0
April Gardening in New England
Transplants started in March are growing nicely in the grow box. Onions have been moved from the grow box to the greenhouse. Tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and other warm-loving plants which were not started last month should be started in early April.
Anything in the Cucurbitaceae (squash, gourd, cucumber) family can be started in April, but not more than 4 weeks before the last frost. Many cucurbitaceae – or I’ll say cucurbits can be direct seeded.
As I sometimes want an early start on cucumbers, I start them in peat pots. I am not advocating the use of peat pots, they can be a bit tricky. I have found that with careful watering and attention, they will not dry out or start to mold if overwatered. The advantage of peat pots is that he bottoms can be ripped off at planting time, leaving a nice cutworm collar.
The only peat pots I like to use are the 3.5 inch squares, which fit into a regular size 1020 tray. This seed starting tray can be purchased at the greenhouse mega store.
To use a peat pot, be diligent about watering cycles so that the pots do not dry out and kill the seedlings, or get overwatered and promote mold. I find a good spray soaking, sometimes twice a day, works well with an occasional top watering. When I watered from the bottom, especially in a closed tray with no drainage (as used in the growbox, window sill or shelf, the pots become overwatered and start to mold.
Many cucurbits can be direct-seeded, which is what I’m planning in 2025. I have tried melons, cucumbers, winter, and summer squashes seem to do better when direct-seeded and let nature take its course.
Note: This year (2025) I plan to direct seed all cucurbits, this will save money and time. As another option, plants can be started in paper cups. Many of the hot paper cups are compostable
