Last Updated on April 5, 2024 by Real Men Sow
On Thursday Andrew asked me via Twitter if I was going to write one “What to Plant in April?” blog for fellow gardeners who want to make the best out of the early spring weather. Well, I couldn’t really say no, especially considering that the answer is pretty much everything! However, the soil is still warming up, so I’d hold off sowing directly until the weeds start to grow vigorously in your beds. Once this is the case, hoe them off and get sowing as the soil is warm enough.
What Seeds to Plant in April?
Go Direct With Carrots, Radish, Chard, Beets
I’ve got a few weeds in my beds, and the best vegetables to sow in April are carrots and radish in my raised beds, and over the coming fortnight, I’ll put chard, beetroot and salad leaves in the same bed. Other seeds that can be sown directly during April are parsnips, peas, maincrop carrots, broad beans, and spring onions.
If your soil is clay-like and we get rain followed by sun, a crusty top can develop. A good tip I picked up is to cover your seeds with multi-purpose compost (pictured) rather than the soil from the bed, which is much easier for the seedlings to push through.
Leafy Vegetables to Plant in April
Lettuce, chard, parsnips, and beets can all be sown undercover in modules too. This time of year, the vast majority of my sowings are still undercover in pots. I’ll be sowing leeks, PSB, kale, Brussels, and from the third week of the month, runner beans, French beans, tomatoes, squashes, and courgettes.
Sow in the greenhouse
If you’re sowing in pots, make sure you get decent multi-purpose compost and be a lot better at remembering to water than I am. The pots dry out really quickly in a greenhouse and I’d recommend watering every day if you can.
Sow in the windowsill
If you don’t have a greenhouse, a bright windowsill will work well, and leeks, peas, broad beans, lettuce, and chard will all germinate outside in pots. Bring the multi-purpose inside for a couple of days if practical, as that will warm the soil.
Cover plants to keep the soil warm
You can speed the soil warming process up by laying a black tarpaulin on the surface or use cloches. I’ve got a few peas in one of my raised beds under a cloche, and they’re beginning to germinate.
Keep Sowing Seeds In April
Don’t forget that the nights can still get pretty cold this time of year, so cover seedlings with fleece or bubble wrap if the temperature drops very low. Germinating seedlings don’t like temperatures to fluctuate too much, so make sure you open the greenhouse door during hot days too.
But best of all, just keep sowing and sowing. April and May are busy times, and I’ll keep sowing whenever I have a few minutes. I figure its best to have too many seedlings and too few.
You can always swap the surplus, and seeing what leftovers people leave outside the allotment hut is a great way of discovering different varieties.
