April Seed Plantings

It is definitely time to seriously start sowing the hardy vegetable seeds when the daffodils are blooming.  The threat of frost is gone and the temperatures are milder and the days are filled with rain and sunshine.  Daffodils don't grow in Florida but a bouquet may be found during a short time in the Spring.

From Seeds

Beans, including snap, pole, and lima or butter beans.  Most beans will germinate in 6 days and mature in 50 -70 days.  We prefer the Contender snap beans and the Sieva pole butter beans.  The snap beans may also be sown in late summer.

The Sieva pole beans have been absent from the market, but I believe they are back in time for this season.  Otherwise, Mezcla is a popular alternative with same great flavor, size, and texture.  Butter beans are also available as bush--no staking is necessary.

Silver Queen Corn is a hybrid that will germinate in 8 days and mature in about 80 - 90 days.  Stalks will grow to 7 to 8 feet tall with dark green husk and flag.  It is advisable to plant in block as opposed to, say, long rows.  It makes for easier pollination.

Plant 3 or 4 seeds in hills about a foot apart and the rows should be spaced about 3 feet apart.  The seedlings should be thinned out and when they are knee high, side dress with Nitrate of Soda and again when tassels appear.  Corn is a heavy feeder and may require lots of common garden fertilizer such as 8-8-8 or 10-10-10.

A Note about Nitrate of Soda:  "Nitrogen stimulates early spring growth, deep green color, and stem and leaf growth.  Deficiencies of Nitrogen can result in stunted plant growth."  For best results, follow direction on the package and wash off any plant food which accidentally gets on foliage.  --From Bonide Nitrate of Soda.

I called the folks at Standard Feed to ask if I used Nitrate of Soda; did I also need regular fertilizer.  The answer came back in no uncertain terms:  No! No! No!

Clemson Spineless Okra is a warm weather season crop belonging to the Hibiscus family that prefers sandy loam, a high quality garden fertilizer, and to be side dressed twice with Nitrate of Soda when plants are about a foot tall and again 4 - 4 weeks later.  It germinates in 10 days and matures in 50 - 60 day.  It is great stir fried and cooked in gumbos.

These are the most important vegetables from seeds that we sow here at the Back Forty Garden.  We have been busy preparing the soil and getting the seeds in the ground.  We still have plants to plant.

Source:  Me and Wyat-Quarles Seed Catalog

Happy Gardening!

Thank you for visiting my blog.

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The Fine Print:  I use my blog as a journal to record what is going on in my Back Forty Garden and Park.  It is not my intention to tell you how you should grow your garden, grow your fruit and berries, vegetables and herbs, or take take of yourself.  The content is my own ramblings and so are the pictures unless otherwise stated.  I hope, however, that I have sparked some interest in gardening and related subjects but it is imperative that you do your own research and do what makes sense to you.