My Melon and Squash Starts In Spite

Bob Bauer

February 17, 2017 (Last Updated: March 06, 2023) | Reading Time: 1 minutes

February 17, 2017

My melon and squash starts, in spite of being put out every morning and brought back in at night, are not turning dark green and are getting tall. Pale green and spindly are signs of not getting enough light. It's been overcast and rainy here for a week and they are not happy. I'm used to starting them in March and there's been ample sunlight..

I didn't even consider light as a problem when I started them. New parameters are unfolding with our adjusting to climate change. I could buy a suplimental light source for them or wait to see if they fall over, then start another batch..

February 18, 2017

My second planting of broccoli and cauliflower have come up. Now I have two trays to carry in and out. I think I'm done with six pack planting for this year. Your local nursery should have six packs of winter hearty snow crown cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage for you to plant out now if you didn't get your seeds started..

They are a bargain at any price, especially if you consider how many times you can reuse the plastic six packs. I think I have some that are ten years old. You can direct seed spinach now, and start your peppers indoors to put out in 10 weeks..

February 19, 2017

Although the lettuce transplants in the greenhouse have quadrupled in size, the spinach ones right across the aisle have only started growing. This surprises me because you can direct seed spinach outside a month before lettuce, so it's more cool weather tolerant. It may come back to light again. My cole crop flat is dark green and not spindly like my melon/squash one..

They need less sunlight. Perhaps lettuce needs less sunlight to grow than spinach does..

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