Cold Winter Areas — Zones 1–7a
April is the bridge between the indoor seed-starting season and the first real outdoor planting in cold-winter zones. As soon as soil is workable, focus on bed prep, clearing winter cover, and making space for early direct sowing of hardy spring crops — often with row cover or low tunnels to buffer cold nights. Indoors, keep starting and potting up seedlings, and begin hardening off the earliest transplants on mild days so they are ready to go out as soon as your local frost window allows.
Indoors (fresh harvests):
-
Microgreens: peas, broccoli, sunflowers, arugula
-
Sprouts: alfalfa, broccoli, radish, mung
-
Herbs & greens under lights: chives, parsley, mint
Crops to start indoors in good light: Lettuce, cauliflower, dill, marigold, eggplant, tomato, pepper, zinnia
Transplants to move outdoors (weather permitting — harden first): Onion, parsley, broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi, arugula, pansy, bachelor's buttons
Crops that can be directly sown outdoors in April (assume intermittent frosts; a low tunnel or row cover makes most of these reliable): pak choi, cabbage, kale, mustard, fava bean, pea, turnip, parsnip, sweet pea
Cover crops: winter rye, fava bean, hairy vetch, red or white clover, and cover crop mixes.
Tip: This zone group covers a lot of territory. Nothing replaces talking with experienced gardeners in your area and, of course, watching the weather closely.
Use your USDA zone as a guide. Microclimates matter—coastal/urban spots run warmer; high elevation runs colder.
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![Legend: H for Heirloom, O for Organic, A for AAS Winner, F for staff favorites]()
Broccoli Seeds - Ramoso Santana
Ramoso Santana Broccoli Seeds. 48 to 70 days. Brassica Oleracea. Non-GMO, Open Pollinated. A rare and little-known crop of sprouting broccoli, Ramoso Santana is a delicious and slow-bolting Mediterranean favorite....
Lettuce Seeds, Romaine - Brune D'Hiver - Organic
Organic Brune D'Hiver Romaine Lettuce Seeds. 55 to 60 days to maturity. Lactuca sativa. Heirloom, Non-GMO, Annual. >Introduced in 1855, this French butterhead-type lettuce has crunchy green leaves with a...
Lettuce Seeds - Okayama Salad
50-60 days to maturity. Lactuca sativa ‘Okayama Salad’. Okayama Salad Lettuce Seeds. Non-GMO, cool-season annual heirloom. This early-maturing butterhead lettuce is a Japanese variety known for its delicate flavor and...
Turnip Seeds - Fuku Komachi - Hybrid
Turnip Seeds - Fuku Komachi - Hybrid. Non-GMO. Brassica rapa subsp. rapa. 25-45 days depending on type of maturity. Cool season annual. Fuku Komachi has one of the slowest bolting...
Lettuce Seeds - Leaf - Merlot
Merlot Leaf Lettuce Seeds. 55 days to maturity. Lactuca sativa. Heirloom, Annual. Merlot is a loose-leaf type with an intense deep burgundy color. Approximately 25,000 seeds/ounce. Lettuce Seeds - Leaf...
Lettuce Seeds - Arianna
Lactuca sativa (39 days) Attractive French variety with large foliage and small, tall open heads with thick, mint green leaves. Approx. 25,000 seeds per ounce. Download Free Vegetable Growing Guide...
Pak Choi Seeds - Da Hong Summer Hybrid
10-15 days microgreens; 20-30 days baby leaf; 45 days full maturity. Brassica rapa var chinensis. Da Hong Summer Hybrid Pak Choi Chinese Cabbage Seeds. Non-GMO, cool-season annual, hybrid. Da Hong...
Clover Seeds - Alsike - Organic
Trifolium Hybridum. Alsike clover is a short-lived perennial plant. It is grown widely in the eastern, northern, mid-western states and in the Pacific Northwest. Alsike is similar in many ways...
Clover Seeds - Hykon Rose
Trifolium hirtum Hykon Rose Clover is annual clover that can be used for erosion control, annual pasture, and cover crops for vineyards and orchards. Hykon is a mid/late maturing rose...
Mustard Seeds - Chinese
60-65 days to maturity.Brassica juncea. Chinese Mustard Seeds. Non-GMO, cool-season, year-round annual, heirloom. This special selected Chinese mustard has a compact head with thick petioles and large wrapping leaves. Chinese...
Pea Seeds - Shelling - Green Arrow (Treated)
65-75 Days to maturity. Pisum sativum. Green Arrow Pea Seeds (Treated). Non-GMO, annual, open-pollinated, heirloom, treated pea seeds. Long, slim, 4.5-inch pods grow in pairs on strong 28-inch vines. Suitable...
Chinese Cabbage Seeds - Osaka Shirona
40-60 Days to maturity. Brassica rapa var. Pekinensis 'Osaka Shirona'. Osaka Shirona Chinese Cabbage Seeds. Annual. The shirona Cabbage group may be a cross between Chinese cabbage and pak choi,...
Turnip Seeds - Tsugaru Scarlet - Hybrid
Turnip Seeds - Tsugaru Scarlet - Hybrid. Non-GMO. Brassica rapa subsp. rapa. 55 days to maturity. Cool season annual. These scarlet skinned, globe-shaped, hybrid Japanese turnips have pure white flesh...
Mustard Seeds - Japanese Giant Garnet
20-30 Days to Baby Leaf Maturity. Brassica juncea ’Japanese Giant Garnet’. Japanese Giant Garnet Mustard Seeds. Non-GMO, Open Pollinated, Annual. The solid, rounded leaves of this baby leaf variety are...
Lettuce Seeds, Leaf - Prizehead - Organic
Organic Prizehead Leaf Lettuce Seeds. 45 - 55 days to maturity. Lactuca sativa. Heirloom, Non-GMO, Annual. Approx. 25,000 Seeds per ounce. Download Free Vegetable Growing Guide PDF Lettuce Seeds, Leaf...
Pea Seeds - Blue Shelling (Organic)
Non-GMO, Organic, Open-pollinated, Heirloom Blue Shelling Seeds from True Leaf Market. This is a tall, attractive heirloom pea plant from the Netherlands that is centuries old with bluish to purple...
Eggplant Seeds - Morden Midget (organic)
65 Days to maturity. Solanum melongena. Organic Morden Midget Eggplant Vegetable Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, organic, open-pollinated, heirloom, italian eggplant. Suitable for growing in greenhouses, garden plots, raised beds, or containers....
Pea Seeds - Snap - Sugar Sprint (Treated)
55-65 Days to maturity. Pisum sativum. Sugar Sprint Snap Pea Seeds (Treated). Non-GMO, annual, open-pollinated, heirloom, heat-tolerant snap pea. Suitable for growing in fields, containers, garden plots, raised beds, and...
Mustard Seeds - Red Komatsuna Hybrid
20-38 to maturity. Brassica rapa var. perviridis. Red Komatsuna Hybrid Mustard Seeds. Non-GMO, warm or cold-season, annual, hybrid. This spinach-mustard is an excellent choice for baby leaf greens. It can...
Chinese Cabbage Seeds - Matsushima No. 2
80 Days to maturity. Brassica rapa var. Pekinensis 'Matsushima No.2'. Matsushima No. 2 Chinese Cabbage Seeds. Annual Heirloom. The Matsushima No. 2 Chinese Cabbage is a unique Michihili-type compact heading...
Pea Seeds, Afila 595
65 Days to maturity.Pisum Sativum. Afila 595 Pea Seeds. Annual, Non-GMO, Heirloom. Afila varieties of pea are cultivated for their delicious, gracefully attractive long tendrils. The tender pea shoot tips...
Cauliflower Seeds - Violetta Italia
80-89 days. Brassica oleracea var. botrytis. Violetta Italia Cauliflower Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, heirloom, open-pollinated. This crop is suitable for garden plots, raised beds, and larger containers, offering compact lavender-purple heads...
Chinese Cabbage Seeds - RCC9 Red - Hybrid
70 to 85 Days to maturity. Brassica rapa, Pekinensis group. Chinese Cabbage Seeds - RCC9 Red - Hybrid. Non-GMO. Cool season annual, Hybrid. This RCC9 Red Chinese Cabbage is a...
Lettuce Seeds - Crisphead - Ithaca
50-60 days. Ithaca Crisphead Lettuce Seeds. Lactuca sativa. Non-GMO. Open Pollinated. ~25,000 seeds per oz. Download Free Vegetable Growing Guide PDF Growing Non-GMO Ithaca Crisphead Lettuce Vegetable Seeds Download Free...
Turnip Seeds - Hidabeni
Turnip Seeds - Hidabeni. Heirloom, Non-GMO. Brassica rapa subsp. rapa. AKA kabu, kabura, manjing, mo ching, wu jing. 45-50 days. Cool season annual. Hidabeni turnip is a Japanese traditional vegetable,...
Pak Choi Seeds - Chun Mei Hybrid
45-50 days to maturity.Brassica rapa var chinensis. Chun Mei Pak Hybrid Choi Chinese Cabbage Seeds. Non-GMO, late maturing cool-season annual, hybrid. Chun Mei hybrid is very slow bolting standard large...
Zinnia Seeds - Cactus Flowered Mix
75-90 Days to Maturity. Zinnia elegans. Zinnia Cactus Flowered Mix Flower Seeds. Non-GMO, open-pollinated, annual, edible, deer-resistant, and attracts pollinators. Displays pink, purple, red, orange, white, and yellow colored blooms...
Cabbage Seeds - Brunswick (Organic)
70 Days to maturity. Brassica oleracea ’Brunswick’. Organic Brunswick Cabbage Seeds. Non-GMO, cool weather annual. Introduced in 1824 to the United States from Germany, this cabbage is excellent for making...
Lettuce Seeds, Leaf - Green Salad Bowl - Organic
Organic Green Salad Bowl Leaf Lettuce Seeds. 50 days to maturity. Baby leaf maturity at 28 days. Lactuca sativa. Heirloom, Non-GMO, Annual. Approx. 25,000 Seeds per ounce. Download Free Vegetable...
Mustard Seeds - Seaweed - Oka Hijiki
This seed is unavailable until 2027. Add your email to receive a notification when it is available again. Seaweed Mustard Seeds - Oka Hijiki. Non-GMO. Heirloom. Non-GMO. Salsola komarovi. 30-40...
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