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]()
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...
Bean Seeds - Bush - Cherokee Black Wax
50-65 Days to maturity. Phaseolus vulgaris. Cherokee Black Wax Bush Bean Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, open-pollinated, bush, snap, wax bean. Suitable for growing in containers, garden plots, raised beds, and greenhouses....
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...
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...
Bean Seeds - Bush - Tenderette Green
50-65 Days to maturity. Phaseolus vulgaris. Tenderette Green Bush Bean Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, open-pollinated, heirloom snap bush bean. Suitable for growing in containers, garden plots, raised beds, and greenhouses. The...
African Marigold Seeds - Discovery Series
77-84 Days to maturity. Tagetes erecta. Discovery Series African Marigold Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, hybrid. Discovery Series African marigold seeds are an adorable, compact, and vibrant addition to grow in any...
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...
Carrot Seeds - Solar Yellow - Organic
Daucus Carrota (60 days) Yellow carrots have been around for a long time. As far as researchers can document, they originated in the Middle East sometime in the 900s. Now...
Watermelon Seeds - Picnic - Dixie Queen
80 Days to maturity. Citrullus lanatus. Dixie Queen Watermelon Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, open-pollinated, heirloom, heat tolerant, seeded, picnic watermelon. The Dixie Queen watermelon is popular in the southern United States....
Zinnia Seeds - Dreamland Mixture (Coated)
54-70 Days to maturity. Zinnia elegans. Dreamland Mixture Zinnia Seeds. Non-GMO, organic, annual. Dreamland Mix Zinnia Flower seeds are the fastest way to splash some excitement into your garden. Dreamland...
Bean Seeds - Bush - Topcrop
50-65 Days to maturity. Phaseolus vulgaris. Topcrop Bush Bean Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, open-pollinated, heirloom, AAS winner, high-yielding, bush, snap, green bean. Suitable for growing in containers, garden plots, raised beds,...
Onion - Long - Southport White Globe 404
70-110 Days to maturity. Allium cepa. Southport White Globe Onion Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, open-pollinated, heirloom, cold tolerant, bulbing, long-day onion. Suitable for growing in greenhouses, garden plots, and raised beds....
Cauliflower Seeds - Veronica Romanesco Hybrid
77 days. This "Italian" type produces very symmetrical and spiraled, lime green heads with tightly beaded, pointed domes. Useful raw, cooked, or pickled, with a milder, sweeter flavor than standard...
Corn Seeds - Sweet - Ambrosia Hybrid (treated)
80-90 Days to maturity. Zea mays. Ambrosia Hybrid Corn Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, hybrid, Sweet Corn. Suitable for growing in garden plots or raised beds. Corn tolerates heat and drought-prone regions....
Onion Seeds - Bunching - Ishikura Winter Long
40-60 Days to maturity. Allium fistulosum. Ishikura Winter Long Japanese Bunching Onion Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, perennial, open-pollinated, heirloom, cold hardy, bunching onions. Suitable for growing in greenhouses, garden plots, raised...
Bean Seeds - Bush - Fordhook 242 Lima
72 Days to maturity. Phaseolus lunatus. Fordhook 242 Bush Lima Bean Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, open-pollinated, heirloom, AAS winner, high-yielding, heat-tolerant, drought-tolerant, bush, shell, lima bean. Suitable for growing in containers,...
Calendula Seeds - Fancy Mix
50-70 Days to maturity. Calendula officinalis. Fancy Mix Calendula Seeds. Non-GMO, open-pollinated, annual, ornamental herb and flower. Fancy Mix Calendulas are hardy, tolerant of cool temperatures, and produce some strikingly...
Carrot Seeds - Cosmic Purple - Organic
(58 days) Purple on the outside and bright orange on the inside, these carrots are a real show stopper! Have trouble getting the kids to eat carrots? Cosmic Purple to...
Broccoli Seeds - Early Purple Sprouting
Brassica oleracea var. italica (59 days) Purple sprouting broccoli is an old English type broccoli. Early Purple Sprouting Broccoli is not only a colorful addition to salads, but it is...
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...
Pea Seeds - Thomas Laxton
60-70 days. Pisum sativum Non-GMO. Heirloom. A true American heirloom, this pea originated in rural England in the 1800s and was bred by Thomas Laxton's sons who named the variety...
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...
Melon Seeds - Korean - Dae Jang Geum Hybrid
65 Days to maturity. Cucumis melo var. makuwa. Dae Jang Geum Korean Hybrid Melon Seeds. A non-GMO, annual, hybrid, heat tolerant, drought tolerant, Asian Melon. Suitable for growing in garden...
Melon Seeds - Honeydew - Orange Flesh
105 Days to maturity. Cucumis melo. Orange Flesh Honeydew Melon Seeds. A non-GMO, annual, open-pollinated, heirloom, heat-tolerant Honeydew Melon. Suitable for growing in containers, garden plots, raised beds, and greenhouses....
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...
Melon Seeds - Casaba - Golden Beauty
110 Days to maturity. Cucumis melo. Golden Beauty Casaba Melon Seeds. A non-GMO, annual, open-pollinated, heirloom, heat-tolerant, Casaba Melon. Suitable for growing in garden plots and raised beds. Golden Beauty...
Onion Seeds - Bunching - White Lisbon
40-60 Days to maturity. Allium fistulosum. White Lisbon Onion Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, perennial (see zone info), open-pollinated, heirloom, cold hardy, heat tolerant, drought tolerant, bunching onion. Suitable for growing in...
Radish Seeds - China Rose - Organic
55 days. This popular radish for sprouting produces crisp rose colored winter radishes. Radishes are 8" long by 2" wide with rose colored skin and white flesh. Not suitable for...
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