Planting Vegetables in April

What vegetables to plant in April

April is a busy and productive month in your vegetable garden. Whatever your culinary tastes or skill level, there are plenty of vegetables to plant in April.

Sow indoors in pots with warmth (windowsill, greenhouse or conservatory will all work well):

• Beans (for example runner beans or French beans)
• Marrow
• Courgette
• Squash
• Sweetcorn
• Cucumbers
• Aubergines
• Celery
• Celeriac
• Globe artichokes

Sow outside directly into well-prepared soil (containers, beds and borders will all work, whether in a garden or on a balcony):

• Beetroot
• Brussels Sprouts
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Leeks
• Lettuce
• Onions
• Garlic
• Parsnips
• Potatoes
• Radishes
• Shallots
• Spinach
• Swiss chard
• Summer cauliflower
• Radish
• Peas

You should also chit and plant out second early potatoes at the beginning of the month to mid-April, whilst doing the same for maincrop potatoes from mid-April onwards.

What Vegetables to harvest in April

If you already have crops growing, or if you’re just interested to know what’s in season, the vegetables usually ready to harvest in April are:

• Purple sprouting broccoli
• Asparagus (when the spears are no more than 18cm tall)
• Rhubarb
• Radishes
• Spring onion
• Chard
• Leeks
• Kale
• Spring cauliflowers & cabbages
• Lettuce & rocket

Vegetable plant maintenance in April

• As the weather can be still a little on the cold side, protect any early outdoor sowings with horticultural fleece or polythene. Do this until you’re sure temperatures will stay above around 5-7°C at night.
• Support any pea plants – choose from sticks, mesh, green support or wire netting.
• Begin preparing runner bean supports for planting out in June.
• Try to thin out rows of seedlings where possible and as soon as they are big enough to be handled.
• Keep any carrots covered with a very fine mesh or a horticultural fleece. Make sure the edges are buried to keep out carrot root fly.
• Be aware of slugs and snails. Treat them if you’re already seeing the damage and put preventative measures in place before they can attack.