What to sow in April

Based on UK average frost date (mid-April). Enter your postcode on the homepage for personalised dates.

Sow indoors

Direct sow outdoors

Lettuce

Sow a short row every 2 weeks for continuous salad. Pick outer leaves to keep it...

Radishes

The quickest crop you can grow. Sow between slower crops to use the space....

Carrots

Sow thinly to avoid thinning (which attracts carrot fly). Cover with fleece....

Beetroot

Each seed cluster produces several seedlings — thin to the strongest. Leaves are...

Onion sets

Push sets into the soil with the tip just showing. Easiest way to grow onions....

Potatoes (early)

Chit (sprout) seed potatoes on a windowsill before planting. Earth up as they gr...

Kale

Gets sweeter after a frost. One of the hardiest crops — can harvest all winter....

Parsnips

Very slow to germinate (2-4 weeks). Use fresh seed every year. Sow radishes alon...

Spring onions

Sow little and often, every few weeks, for a continuous supply....

Swiss chard

Beautiful and productive. Pick outer leaves and it keeps going for months. Rainb...

Turnips

Harvest when golf-ball sized for the sweetest flavour. Quick-growing gap filler....

Broccoli

Calabrese types give a main head plus side shoots for weeks. Cut the main head f...

Parsley

Slow to germinate (3-4 weeks). Soak seeds overnight in warm water to speed thing...

Sweetcorn

Plant in a block (not a row) for wind pollination. Each plant gives you 1-2 cobs...

Courgettes

You only need 2-3 plants. Seriously. Pick them small (15cm) or they turn into ma...

French beans

Dwarf varieties need no support. Pick every few days to keep them cropping....

Coriander

Sow every 3-4 weeks for a continuous supply. Pick frequently to delay bolting. C...

Rocket

Very easy and fast. Sow regularly Feb-Oct. Gets spicier in hot weather. Pick lea...

Pak choi

Best sown in early spring or after midsummer — bolts quickly in heat. Fast-growi...

Fennel

Sow after midsummer for best bulbs — earlier sowings often bolt. Don't transplan...

Dill

Sow direct — dill hates transplanting. Sow short rows every few weeks for contin...

Runner beans

Build a strong frame — they get heavy. Pick every 2-3 days or they go stringy....

Basil

Pinch out flower buds to keep leaves coming. Harvest from the top to encourage b...

Plant out

Broad beans

Pinch out the growing tips once the first pods form to discourage blackfly....

Peas

Sow every 3 weeks for a continuous harvest. Pick regularly to keep them producin...

Lettuce

Sow a short row every 2 weeks for continuous salad. Pick outer leaves to keep it...

Beetroot

Each seed cluster produces several seedlings — thin to the strongest. Leaves are...

Kale

Gets sweeter after a frost. One of the hardiest crops — can harvest all winter....

Swiss chard

Beautiful and productive. Pick outer leaves and it keeps going for months. Rainb...

Leeks

Drop seedlings into deep holes and just water in — no need to fill the hole. The...

Broccoli

Calabrese types give a main head plus side shoots for weeks. Cut the main head f...

Cabbage

Different varieties for each season — spring, summer, autumn, and winter types. ...

Cauliflower

Fold outer leaves over the curd to keep it white. Cauliflower leaves are delicio...

Brussels sprouts

Grow through summer, harvest from autumn through winter. Flavour improves after ...

Sweetcorn

Plant in a block (not a row) for wind pollination. Each plant gives you 1-2 cobs...

Courgettes

You only need 2-3 plants. Seriously. Pick them small (15cm) or they turn into ma...

French beans

Dwarf varieties need no support. Pick every few days to keep them cropping....

Squash

Big hungry plants. Give them space and feed them. Leave to cure in the sun befor...

Pumpkins

Limit each plant to 2-3 fruits for bigger pumpkins. Sit them on a tile to stop r...

Pak choi

Best sown in early spring or after midsummer — bolts quickly in heat. Fast-growi...

Fennel

Sow after midsummer for best bulbs — earlier sowings often bolt. Don't transplan...

Celery

Sow seeds on the surface — they need light to germinate. Start early in a propag...

Tomatoes

Pinch out side shoots on cordon types. Feed weekly once fruits form. Don't overw...

Runner beans

Build a strong frame — they get heavy. Pick every 2-3 days or they go stringy....

Basil

Pinch out flower buds to keep leaves coming. Harvest from the top to encourage b...