Missouri Environment and Garden Newsletter - AgEBB
Missouri Environment and Garden
Volume 10, No. 4
News for Missouri’s Gardens, Yards and
Resources
April 2004
Gardening Calendar for April
This calendar is provided as a general guide to gardening activities.
April
Start cucumber, cantaloupe, summer squash and watermelon seeds indoors in peat pots.
Finish sowing seeds of all cool-season vegetables not yet planted outdoors.
Plants started indoors should be hardened off outdoors in cold frames before being transplanted into the garden.
Study your landscape for gaps that could be nicely filled with bulbs. Mark these spots carefully and make a note to order bulbs next August.
When buying bedding plants, choose compact, bushy plants that have not begun to flower.
Blemish-free fruits unmarred by insect or disease injury can rarely be produced without relying on regular applications of insecticides and fungicides. For specific information, consult University Extension Guide Sheet #G6010, Home Fruit Spray Schedule.
Plant bare-root or potted fruits as soon as the soil can be worked.
Mount a rain gauge on a post near the garden to keep track of precipitation, so you can tell when to water. Most gardens need about one inch of rain per week between April and September.
Start mowing cool season grasses at recommended heights. For complete details, refer to University Extension Guide #6705, Cool Season Grasses.