April Square Foot Gardening Tips

Fine Gardening Editors, editor

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It's April (finally!) and no matter what the weather is like outside, you're most likely working on some part of your garden.

In this video, Patti Moreno, the Garden Girl, and Mel Bartholomew, author of Square Foot Gardening, talk about spring gardening techniques, from planting cool weather crops like leaf lettuce and broccoli, to hardening off the seedlings you started indoors this winter, to collecting spring rain in a rain barrel.

Check back next month for more great tips from Patti and Mel.

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Comments (2)

llward writes: Rain barrels are really cisterns that have been used in many parts for many years. Today with all the expensive city water, and the scarcity because of the reservoirs not being full.... it is important to have at least one rain barrel to use for the garden or yard. The minor contaminants that one gets in the rain barrel from the roof is not much different from the contaminates that are already in the air. Tar from the roof does not combine with the water....oil and water anyone..they do not mix..duh...the sediment falls to the bottom..dead mosquitoes and larva etc are considered organic..especially when dead!.are they not present on our plants?.....and a small amount of chlorine from bleach will take care of this...I remember the cisterns used on Grand Isle La in the 50s. It was better to drink the cistern treated water than the gold colored water from the shallow wells..and one had no salt water from the Gulf of Mexico to contend with....duh..Bleach even takes care of HIV if it falls from the sky...ha ha........... Posted: 7:05 pm on April 21st

VictoryGardenGirl writes: Sorry but I found your blog a waste of time. Yes It's good to mention hardening off, but there are tender perennials which will not do well outside right now. Also you should of mentioned not to put the plants in full sun...... The real sunlight must be taken slowly at first. Just like a human it can burn the leaves. I also have no idea what zone you are in. It makes a huge difference.
Saving rain water is great but if anyone wants to sell their produce as "organic" you will not be able to because the runoff from the roof - (if you have roofing shingles made of tar,) your water will be contaminated. Also you should mention the different ways to cover a rain barrell. Without a proper cover it makes a perfect breeding site for mosquitos. With the problems we have with West Nile Virus this should definately be mentioned.
I expect more from your magazine.... A list of early varieties to plant directly outside would of been nice.
Posted: 12:58 pm on April 5th

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