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April is one of the most important months in the vegetable garden. As soil temperatures rise and frost risk slowly decreases, it’s the perfect time to sow seeds, plant seedlings, and kickstart the growing season.

With longer days and warming temperatures, April is prime time for both direct sowing and transplanting a wide variety of vegetables. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or trying your hand at growing food for the first time, this month’s activities will set the stage for months of fresh, homegrown produce.

Let’s explore what vegetables you can sow and plant in April in your garden and how to give them the best start for a successful growing season.

Please note that timing may vary depending on your climate and hardiness zone.

What to Sow and Plant in April (Quick Overview)

Here’s a cheatsheet of what you can sow and plant in April:

Sow indoors:

• Leek
• Brassicas
• Lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Cucurbits

Sow outdoors:

• Broad beans
• Peas / Sugar peas
• Carrots
• Radishes
• Lettuce
• Rocket salad
• Spinach
• Beetroot
• Salsify

Plant outdoors:

• Lettuce
• Brassicas
• Leek
• Garlic
• Onions / Shallots
• Potatoes

What to Sow Indoors in April

If you’re new to seed-starting, you may want to read up and learn about all the necessary steps and equipment. Let’s have a look at what can be sown indoors in April:

Leek

Sow winter leek indoors now. I either sow 2 – 3 seeds per small pot, or I take a larger container and sow them in rows that I will be thinning later.

Brassicas

Although we can plant the first batch of brassicas like broccoli, kohlrabi, cauliflower, white and red cabbage outdoors now, we should still sow a second batch indoors. That way, we can transplant them outdoors several weeks from now and have a continuous harvest of brassicas instead of one overwhelming flood of harvest.

I’ve found that, as those second batches will be outside in the summer, we may have to choose late instead of early varieties.

Lettuce

Like with cabbage, the second round of lettuce-starting has begun! Now, however, we want to choose varieties that like warmer weather, like, for example, iceberg and oak leaf lettuce.

Tomatoes

If you haven’t seed-started tomatoes for outdoor planting already, mid-April is the latest time to do so. Sow several seeds per pot and thin them later.

If you’re new to tomatoes, read my complete guide to planting, growing and harvesting tomatoes.

Cucurbitaceae

The cucurbit family consists of cucumbers, zucchini, melons and pumpkins, and they can all be seed-started indoors in April. None of them, however, takes thinning very well and therefore they all need to be seed-started in separate pots.

You’ll find a detailed guide on seed-starting cucumbers here.

🌱 Want gentle monthly reminders of what to sow and plant in the garden? Join here:

Vegetables to Sow Outdoors in April

These early sowings reward you with the first fresh harvests of late spring. In fact, over the years, I’ve noticed that early April sowings often outperform later ones because spring moisture supports germination naturally.

Broad beans

The beginning of April is the latest time to sow broad beans. They are very tolerant of low temperatures and can even withstand light frosts, which is why they don’t need protection against the cold.

Peas / Sugar peas

There are early varieties that can be sown outdoors mid to end of March. Just remember that peas are climbers and therefore install a trellis or net between the rows.

Carrots

Again, we’re talking early varieties here. If you planted onion bulbs in autumn, sow the carrots in the rows between the onions. That way, carrots and onions will protect one another from harmful pests.

Radishes

Carrots need quite some time to germinate, and it’s difficult, therefore, to weed the rows. A trick to still see where the carrots have been sown is to mix radish seeds between the carrot seeds. Radishes need only a few days to germinate and then not only show us the row but are a yummy vegetable for salads or preserve them by fermenting radishes.

Lettuce

Contrary to the varieties we start indoors now, lettuce we sow outdoors in April has to be very tolerant of cold temperatures, like Asian lettuce. If we mix the early varieties we sow now and the later varieties we seed-start indoors, we can continually harvest different kinds of leafy greens. This method of sowing vegetables every 3 – 4 weeks is called succession planting, which not only ensures a continuous harvest but also that the soil in our patches is always covered.

All lettuce varieties germinate in light only. Do not cover them with soil!

Rocket salad

Rocket salad is one of the easiest crops to grow! Sow it, harvest the leaves, and when you let it bloom, it will spread itself.

Spinach

Spinach is almost a no-brainer: I sow it every April, cover it with winter protection fleece, and just let it grow. It’s usually quite tolerant of the cold and will grow well under protective cover.

Beetroot

Although you can seed-start beetroot indoors, that’s only advisable when you have a small garden or want to grow just some of them. In our family, we need plenty of beetroot for salads, pickles, fermented or cooked, and that’s why I sow them directly in April.

Salsify

Salsifies need a deep, loose soil to grow long, straight roots. A patch where potatoes grew the year before would therefore be ideal.

Vegetables to Plant Outdoors in April

Before we plant anything outdoors, it’s important to harden the seedlings off by gradually exposing them to outdoor temperatures. Start by putting your plants outside or in the greenhouse for 2 – 3 hours at first and prolong that time over a week before transplanting.

Lettuce

The lettuce that we started in February or March is now ready for transplanting outside. Make sure that the seedlings are not planted too deeply, or they may rot. As a rule of thumb, put them into the soil as deep as they were in the pot.

Brassicas

All early brassica seedlings like kohlrabi, early Savoy cabbage and cauliflower, as well as white and red cabbage, can be planted outdoors in April. Leave plenty of space between the seedlings so that you can plant celery in between later. Cabbage and celery are great companions in the patch and repel each other’s pests.

Leek

Plant leeks between the cabbage rows. That way, you not only make the best use of space here, seeing that cabbage grows on the ground and leeks on the “first floor”, but they also deter pests from one another. For the best protection, however, cover them with a pest protection net.

Garlic

I usually plant garlic bulbs in autumn, but you can still do so now. Hop over here to get a detailed guide on how to best plant garlic.

Onions / Shallots

Like garlic, onions and shallots can be planted now. Either plant small bulbs you can buy at the nursery or the seedlings you’ve started earlier that year indoors.

Potatoes

In my hardiness zone 7b, I don’t plant potatoes before the end of April. Considering that our last night frosts can happen until mid-May, the end of April is perfect for putting the pre-sprouted potatoes in the ground. When the shoots start looking out of the soil, the worst weather will be over.

Frequently Asked Questions About Planting in April

Planting in April raises many questions, especially about timing and frost protection. Here are the most common ones:

Can I plant tomatoes outside in April?

If your hardiness zone is 9 and above, you can plant tomatoes outside in April; in all other zones, it’s too early.

What vegetables grow fastest from April sowing?

Radishes are one of the fastest-growing vegetables; they only need about 30 days from sowing to harvest.

Is April too late to start a vegetable garden?

Absolutely not. On the contrary, April is a good month to start a vegetable garden as the growing season is just starting.

What if frost returns?

Check the weather forecast, and if frost is predicted, cover your crops with a garden fleece.

What vegetables can I plant in April?

• Lettuce
• Brassicas
• Leek
• Garlic
• Onions / Shallots
• Potatoes

When does frost danger end?

That depends on your hardiness zone. In my zone 7b, for example, the last frosts are expected by mid-May.

April Planting Summary

April is the perfect month to begin sowing hardy crops outdoors, start warm-season vegetables indoors, and transplant early seedlings. With proper timing and frost protection, your vegetable garden will quickly gain momentum for the growing season ahead.

The gardening season has officially started! Time to dig in the dirt!

Not enough garden talk? You may like these articles:

10 Essential Garden Tasks for April (What to Plant, Sow & Protect Now)

Easy Vegetables for Beginners: 11 Foolproof Crops for Your First Garden in 2025

23 Common Vegetable Gardening Mistakes (And How to Fix Them!)

Or just browse my gardening library for step-by-step guides on every aspect of vegetable growing, from planning to harvest.