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]()
Mustard Seeds - Japanese Red Giant
60-80 days. Brassica juncea var. rugosa. Japanese Red Giant Mustard Seeds. Non-GMO. Annual. Exceptionally broad-leafed and textured, Red Giant (Aka taka-na) is a Japanese mustard green specifically grown for its...
Lettuce Seeds - Leaf - Prizehead
40-50 days. These non-GMO Prizehead lettuce seeds grow into large green leaves with maroon tips. Prizehead Lettuce is ready to harvest in 48 days. The Prizehead thrives in full sun...
Lettuce Seeds - Leaf - Royal Oakleaf
Royal Oakleaf lettuce is an improved Oakleaf variety that is slower to bolt. Heads form large rosettes of uniform leaves that are heat resistant. Leaves are dark green and shiny...
Lettuce Seeds, Leaf - Red Sails - Organic
Organic Red Sails Leaf Lettuce Seeds. 45 days to maturity. Baby leaf maturity at 21 days. Heirloom, Non-GMO, Annual. Lactuca sativa. Radiant bronze-red leaves form a full rosette delicately ruffled...
Lettuce Seeds - Red Oakleaf - Organic
Lactuca sativa (38 days) A deep merlot colored leaf resembling an oak leaf with deep lobes. Excellent for baby leaf production. Unlike some other reds, oakleaf maintains a mild flavor...
Kale Seeds - Dazzling Blue
Dazzling Blue Kale Seeds. 50 - 60 days to maturity. Brassica oleracea. Open Pollinated, Annual. Make any salad gorgeous with the unique coloring of Kale Dazzling Blue. Approximately 8,000 seeds/ounce...
Lettuce Seeds - Butterhead - Way-A-Head
Way-A-Head butterhead lettuce is crisp and mild. Heads are compact and medium size. A great crop to grow in limited space for high yields. Leaves are medium green and smooth....
Beet Seed - White Detroit
55 Days. Beta vulgaris. Annual. Heirloom. Open-pollinated. Same classic flavor, non-GMO Detroit White beet seeds grow a clean, stainless alternative to traditional messy old-world garden beets. Widely known as 'sugar...
Beet Seeds - Gourmet Blend
50-60 days. Beta vulgaris. Gourmet Blend Beet Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, open-pollinated. This crop is suitable for garden plots, raised beds, and containers. A colorful five-variety mix—Bull's Blood, Detroit Dark Red,...
Lettuce Seeds - Romaine - Petite Rouge
70 Days to maturity. Lactuca sativa. Petite Rouge Romaine Lettuce Seeds. Also known as Petite Rouge Cos lettuce. Non-GMO. Annual. Open Pollinated. Matures into a beautifully speckled bronze leaf used...
Cabbage Seeds - Early Jersey Wakefield
Brassica oleracea var. capitata (63 days) Early Jersey Wakefield cabbage forms a compact, somewhat conical head with glaucous-green leaves. Early Jersey Wakfield is a wonderful early heading variety, occupying little...
Pak Choi Seeds - Dwarf White Stem
40-45 Days to maturity. Brassica rapa Chinensis group. Dwarf White Stem, Pak Choi (Bok Choy) Seeds. Non-GMO Annual, Heirloom. This ‘Baby Bok Choy’, is the famous Asian green. It grows...
Parsley Seeds - Plain or Single
70-80 Days to maturity. Petroselinum crispum. Plain or Single Parsley Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, open-pollinated, heirloom. Suitable for growing in fields, containers, garden plots, raised beds, and greenhouses. Plain or Single...
Broccoli Seeds - Chinese Broccoli - Late Jade - Hybrid
60-70 days to maturity. Brassica oleracea var alboglabra ‘Late Jade’. Late Jade Chinese Broccoli Seeds. Non-GMO, Hybrid, Cool-season Annual. Originating in the Mediterranian, Chinese Broccoli was introduced to China in...
Beet Seeds - Red Ace Hybrid
50 days. The Red Ace beet is a variety that is highly adaptable and that can grow in cooler temperatures. The Red Ace matures a week before many other beets,...
Lettuce Seeds - Tom Thumb - Organic
Lactuca sativa (50 days) Introduced some time in the 1850s. Small, round head with delicate leaves. About the size of a baseball. Perfect for one-person salad. Can be planted close...
Catmint Seeds - Blue Moon
60-80 Days to maturity. Nepeta nervosa. Blue Moon Cat Mint Seeds. Non-GMO, open-pollinated, Premium Quality Seeds, perennial. This heat-tolerant flowering herb is just the versatile plant that your garden needs!...
Pak Choi Seeds - Wa Wa Qing - Hybrid
30-35 Days to maturity. Brassica rapa Chinensis group. Wa Wa Qing, Pak Choi (Bok Choy) Seeds. Hybrid Non-GMO Annual. This is a “Shanghai baby” pak choi variety. Plants grow upright,...
Lettuce Seeds - Black Seeded Simpson - Organic
Lactuca Sativa (45 days) An old reliable lettuce that is heat resistant, slow to bolt and very dependable. Leaves are large, but lightly crispy and ruffled. Excellent for spring, early...
Mustard Seeds - Old Fashioned
B. juncea (42 days) Old Fashioned Mustard is the classic mustard typically found in Southern gardens of yesteryear. It is still widely grown in the South for its reliability and...
Lettuce Seeds - Butterhead - Kagraner Sommer
50-60 days. Non-GMO. Open-pollinated. Kagraner Sommer Lettuce Seeds from True Leaf Market produce a butterhead lettuce with light green leaves that is slow to bolt. Also known as Kagran Summer...
Chinese Mustard Seeds - Shuidong
35 to 45 Days to maturity. Brassica juncea. Shuidong Chinese Mustard Seeds. Non-GMO, Heirloom, non-GMO, Cool Season Annual. Shuidong mustard is named after the town where it was first cultivated,...
Pak Choi Seeds - Red Tatsoi - Hybrid
45 Days to full maturity, 20-30 Days for baby leaf, 10-15 Days for microgreens. Brassica rapa subsp. narinosa. Red Tatsoi, Pak Choi Seeds. Annual, Hybrid. Cool Season. This vigorous hybrid...
Beet Seeds - Red Mammoth Mangel
Beta vulgaris (100 days) Fodder beets have been around since the 1400s if not earlier. These beets were prized as nutritious animal feed that was easy to store. Fodder beets...
Kale Seeds - Portuguese
Portuguese Kale Seeds. Brassica oleracea. 85 days to maturity. Heirloom. Annual. This Kale variety may be the hardiest of the cabbage kin. Approximately 8,000 seeds/ounce Kale Seeds - Portuguese It...
Beet Seeds - Crosby Egyptian - Organic
Beta vulgaris. (60 days) Egyptian type beets were created in the 1860s by the Germans. The Crosby strain was selected by Josiah Crosby of Arlington, Massachusetts and introduced by The...
Mustard - Tat Soi - Black Knight
Tat Soi - Black Knight Mustard Seeds. 45 - 55 days to maturity. Heirloom, Annual. Can be grown in containers. Can be grown as microgreens. Brassica rapa. A dark green...
Lettuce Seeds - Batavian, Great Lakes 118
80 - 90 days. These non-GMO Great Lakes 118 lettuce seeds grow into large green leaves and a white heart. Great Lakes 118 Lettuce, also known as Head Lettuce, is...
Kale Seeds - Ethiopian
50 to 60 Days to maturity. Brassica carinata. Ethiopian Kale Seeds. Annual, Heirloom. This leafy green originated in Ethiopia, in East Africa. It is known by various names, including Ethiopian...
Lettuce Seeds - Romaine - Little Caesar
Little Caesar Lettuce Seeds. 70 days to maturity. Lactuca sativa. Heirloom, Annual. Little Caesar Lettuce is a very attractive, tall romaine type with crisp, bright green outer leaves and golden-blanched...
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