UK growing guide · Spring
What can I plant in April?
Last updated
April is busy in a British garden. Vegetables to plant in April in the UK include courgettes, squash and beans under cover, and carrots, beetroot, peas and potatoes outside.
Frost has not finished. I still keep fleece by the back door, because a clear April night will blacken anything tender you were tempted to put out.
What to sow in April
Vegetables to plant in April in the UK, split between sowing under cover and sowing outside.
Indoors or under cover
This is the right month for the tender crops that would have outgrown their pots if you had sown them in March.
Courgettes — one or two seeds to a pot
Pumpkins — and winter squash, same way
Cucumbers — warm, and don't overwater
Sweetcorn — in deep pots; they hate root disturbance- French beans — late in the month, in warmth
Tomatoes — a last sowing if earlier ones failed- Leeks — still time, in a tray or seedbed
Brussels sprouts — if you have not sown them yet
Outdoors
Most hardy vegetables can be sown outside now. In a cold, wet April, wait a week rather than smearing the seedbed.
Carrots
Beetroot- Parsnips — if you did not sow in March
Peas
Lettuce — sow a short row
Radishes
Spinach
Potatoes — second earlies and maincrops
Onion sets — if they are not already in- Leeks — in a seedbed, milder gardens
What to plant out in April
Harden off hardy seedlings and plant them out. Tender crops — tomatoes, courgettes, beans, sweetcorn — stay under cover except in a greenhouse.
- Lettuce — hardened off
- Onion sets
- Potatoes
- Cabbage — summer varieties, hardened off
- Broad beans — plants raised in pots
What to harvest in April
The hungry gap is easing, but don't expect summer crops yet. Take what the overwintered plants offer.
- Purple sprouting broccoli
- Spring cabbage
- Rhubarb — established crowns; pull, don't cut
Asparagus — late in the month, from crowns at least two years old- Overwintered salad and spinach
- Leeks — finish them before they flower
April jobs on the plot
Thin, weed and cover. April growth is fast once it starts, including the weeds.
Thin carrots, lettuce and beetroot
Do it while seedlings are small, and water afterwards so the smell of crushed carrot doesn't hang in the air for carrot fly.
Earth up early potatoes
Pull soil or compost over the shoots whenever they show, especially if frost is forecast.
Support peas and broad beans
A windy April flattens an unsupported row.
Hoe weeds on a dry day
Small weeds are easy. Left alone they are the crop you did not mean to grow.
Frost and where you garden
North and south in April
Frost in April is still ordinary, particularly inland and in the north. Potato shoots, blossom and anything newly planted out need covering when a frost is forecast.
Further north, and high ground
In northern England and Scotland, treat the first half of April much like March. Sow hardy crops, but don't plant out anything that cannot take a frost. Tender sowings stay in the warmest spot you have.
The south and sheltered coasts
Southern gardens can move faster with outdoor sowings, especially on light soil. Even so, don't put courgettes or tomatoes outside yet. A greenhouse or a bright porch is the place for them.
Easy mistakes in April
April looks like summer on a good day. The night temperature is the one that matters.
Planting courgettes out after one warm day
Harden them off later, and wait until your local frost risk has passed. That is often May, and later further north.
Letting seedlings dry out in a greenhouse
April sun through glass is strong. Check pots every day. They can wilt by lunchtime.
Sowing the whole carrot packet
A short row every few weeks beats a glut of woody roots.
Keep April on the dashboard
Sproutly is a web garden diary for UK fruit and veg growers. Add the plants and the jobs, then see what's due on your dashboard.
Record your sowings
Note what you sowed in April, and which bed it went in.
Plan the month's jobs
Add planting, covering and picking as tasks with a due date.
See what's due
Your dashboard shows what's due and what's overdue. Sproutly does not email you or send a push to your phone.
Sketch the beds
Use the garden planner to try a layout before you plant it for real.
Ready to plan your April garden?
Add this month's plants and jobs to your diary. Basic is free for up to 3 plants and 3 tasks. Pro is £5 a month if you want more, including recurring tasks.
Free to start · No annual plan
Gardening advice is provided as a general guide based on typical UK conditions. Weather soil and local climate can vary so always use your judgement and adjust timing as needed for your own garden.