Over much of the USA, April is when the gardening season really gets going. Between preparing the soil and planting the early crops, it's easy to overlook important steps. We really recommend a garden journal as a way to map out what you want to do. Then fill in the whens and wheres. Don't forget to look around and notice what's happening in your area. When are the forsythia blooming? Are you hearing robins in the morning? These are links to the natural world, reasons why we are gardening. Don't forget to smell the roses.
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.
Zones 7b-9a: April is a peak planting month in mild-winter zones as soils warm and frost risk fades, opening the door to a much broader range of crops outdoors. Continue sowing cool-season favorites in early April, where nights are still chilly, but begin transitioning beds to warm-season planting through the month as temperatures stabilize. Succession sowing, trellising, and a little frost protection for surprise cold snaps help keep growth steady - and April is also an excellent time to harden off seedlings and get transplants established.
Zones 9b-12: April is full spring momentum in the warm-winter zones, with many gardens shifting decisively into warm-season planting while remaining cool-season crops finish strong. This is a great month to direct sow and transplant heat lovers outdoors, and to keep succession planting going so harvests don’t gap as days get longer and brighter. In the hottest areas, start planning for rising temperatures by watching irrigation closely, adding mulch, and timing your final rounds of tender cool-season crops before consistent heat arrives.
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![Legend: H for Heirloom, O for Organic, A for AAS Winner, F for staff favorites]()
Cosmos Seeds - Sensation Mixture
49-63 Days to maturity. Cosmos bipinnatus. Sensation Mixture Cosmos Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, Heirloom, Open Pollinated. Sensation Mix cosmos seeds grow some of the season's most timeless and familiar blooms. Sensation...
Squash Seeds - Winter - Delicata
Non-GMO Delicata Winter squash is ready in 100 days. This is one of the tastier winter vine squashes with creamy flesh tastes like sweet potatoes. This is where the other...
Radish Seeds - French Breakfast
Heirloom and Non- GMO French Breakfast Radish is ready in 24 days. These radishes have blunt and oblong shape which are mostly red with some white at the tip. The...
Okra Seeds - Hill Country Red
60-70 days. Hill Country Red Okra Seeds. Abelmoschus esculentus. Non-GMO. Heirloom. Hill Country Red okra seeds mature to 6 feet tall and is a good producer of thick green pods...
Watermelon Seeds - Picnic - Georgia Rattlesnake
Citrullus lunatus (90 days) AKA "Gypsy" and "Augusta Rattesnake" watermelon. Georgia Rattlesnake is said to have been developed in the 1830s. It has been an old Southern favorite for a...
Squash Seeds - Winter - Pink Banana Jumbo
105-115 Days to maturity. Cucurbita maxima Pink Banana Jumbo Winter Squash Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, heirloom, open-pollinated. Suitable for growing in fields, garden plots, raised beds, and large containers. Noted for...
Pea Seeds - Shelling - Little Marvel
Non-GMO, Heirloom Little Marvel Pea Vegetable Garden Seed from True Leaf Market. Pisum sativum. Little Marvel English Heirloom Pea Seeds came from England during the 1980s as a semi-dwarf shelling...
Melon Seeds - Cantaloupe - Minnesota Midget
65-70 Days to maturity. Cucumis melo var. reticulatus. Minnesota Midget Melon Seeds. A non-GMO, annual, open-pollinated, heirloom, heat-tolerant Cantaloupe Melon. Suitable for growing in containers, garden plots, raised beds, and...
Bean Seeds - Bush - Slenderette
50-65 Days to maturity. Phaseolus vulgaris. Slenderette Bush Bean Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, open-pollinated, heirloom, high-yielding, bush, snap, green bean. Suitable for growing in containers, garden plots, raised beds, and greenhouses....
Corn Seeds - Sweet - Kandy Korn Hybrid
80-90 Days to maturity. Zea mays. Kandy Korn Hybrid Corn Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, hybrid, Sweet Corn. Suitable for growing in garden plots or raised beds. Corn tolerates heat and drought-prone...
Mustard Seeds - Mizuna
30 days. This japanese mustard green has dandelion-like jagged edged green leaves with a mild, sweet, earthy flavor. Mizuna grows fast and makes an excellent salad green. It can be...
Pea Seeds - Perfection Dark Seeded
Non-GMO, Heirloom Dark-seeded Perfection Pea Vegetable Garden Seed from True Leaf Market. Pisum sativum. Around 4,000 years ago, garden peas were cultivated in Europe. This heirloom is an early-to- harvest...
Radish Seeds - White Icicle
Non-GMO White Icicle Radish Seeds, Heirloom. White Icicle Radish has grown in the United States since the late 1800s. Radishes are known for providing high amounts of nutrition. White radishes...
Melon Seeds - Canary Yellow
80-120 Days to maturity. Cucumis melo. Canary Yellow Melon Seeds. A non-GMO, annual, open-pollinated, heirloom, heat-tolerant Melon. Suitable for growing in garden plots, raised beds, and greenhouses. This winter melon...
Pea Seeds - Snap - Sugar Sprint
Non-GMO Sugar Spring Snap Peas are ready in 58 days. It is one of the earliest varieties, so plant these in succession for some early spring vegetables. These are delicious...
Bean Seeds - Bush - Dark Red Kidney (Organic)
90-100 Days to maturity. Phaseolus vulgaris. Organic Dark Red Kidney Bean Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, organic, open-pollinated, heirloom, high-yielding, bush, shelling bean. Suitable for growing in containers, garden plots, raised beds,...
Bean Seeds - Pole - Kentucky Wonder (Organic)
65 Days to maturity. Phaseolus vulgaris. Organic Kentucky Wonder Pole Bean Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, open-pollinated, heirloom, drought tolerant, high-yielding, pole, snap, romano bean. Suitable for growing in containers, garden plots,...
Zinnia Seeds - Profusion Series (Coated)
54-70 Days to maturity. Zinnia elegans x angustifolia. Profusion Series Zinnia Seeds. Non-GMO, organic, annual. Profusion Series Zinnia flower seeds promise to turn your tired summer bedding into an award-winning...
Mustard - Farmer's Favorite Cover Crop Mix
35-45 Days to maturity. Brassica juncea. Farmer's Favorite Mustard Cover Crop Mix Seeds. Non-GMO, Open Pollinated, Annual. This is a blend of several mustards that work well together to provide...
Hairy Vetch - Cover Crop Seeds
80-90 Days. Vicia villosa. Annual. Heirloom. Non-GMO. Such a vigorous annual cover crop that it is considered invasive in much of the United States, non-GMO hairy vetch is a European...
Squash Seeds - Honeynut
Cucurbita moschata (100-110 days) Honey Nut Squash originates from Cornell University. We remember being in Cornell's fields just a few years ago as they were developing this squash. It is...
Pea Seeds - Snap - Sugar Daddy
70-80 Days to maturity. Pisum sativum. Sugar Daddy Snap Pea Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, open-pollinated. Suitable for growing in fields, containers, garden plots, raised beds, and greenhouses. Resistant to powdery mildew...
Cabbage Seeds - All Seasons Cabbage
Brassica oleracea var. capitata (87days) (Also known as "The Vandergaw" and "Novelty") A good mid-season cabbage for those regions with a moderate to warm summer. All seasons cabbage is heat...
Beet Seeds - Chioggia (Organic)
55 Days. Beta vulgaris. Organic. Open-pollinated. Pronounced "key-oh-jah" after the small Venetian villa town, non-GMO Chioggia beet seeds are a classic Italian garden heirloom grown and sold throughout the Mediterranean...
Watermelon Seeds - Giant - Black Diamond
90 Days to maturity. Citrullus lanatus. Black Diamond Watermelon Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, open-pollinated, heirloom, heat tolerant, seeded, Giant watermelon. Developed in Arkansas in the 1950s. Called black diamond because of...
Swiss Chard Seeds - Fordhook Giant
60 days. The Swiss Chard Fordhook Giant is a variety that can grow to be over two feet tall. This plant produced broad, dark green leaves with bright white stems...
Parsnip Seeds - All American
All American has a sweet, tender, white and fine grained flesh that makes this a popular parsnip. The thick white roots are uniform, with smooth shoulders. All American reaches 2-3"...
Parsnip Seeds - Harris Model
100-120 days. Heirloom. Non-GMO. Pastinaca sativa. Harris is THE parsnip that people think of when they think of parsnips. This has been the standard for years and for good reason....
Sunflower Seeds - Velvet Queen
90-110 Days to maturity. Helianthus annuus. Velvet Queen Sunflower Seeds: Non-GMO. Open Pollinated. Ornamental. Annual. Heirloom. Velvet Queen seeds grow one of the summer's most exclusive and rare blooms, exceptional...
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