April - this is what you can sow and cultivate
Spring is on its way, and the light is growing stronger by the day. Now is truly the time to start pre-cultivating both vegetables and flowers. Out in the garden, you can also get started with the hardiest plants.
SOWING CALENDAR – APRIL
The weather can still be a bit unpredictable in April, but this is the month when newly sown seeds really begin to sprout and grow. It's high time to take stock of the seed packets you already have, dive into which new seeds you want to get, and start planning your summer garden.
Pre-cultivate indoors in April
The most delicate plants should still be sown indoors, so they can be planted out only after the frost has safely said its final goodbye.
Vegetables you can pre-cultivate indoors in April
Summer flowers you can pre-cultivate in April
- Snapdragon
- Aster
- Nasturtium
- Annual phlox
- Zinnia
- Cosmos
- Cornflower
- Sunflower
- Ornamental tobacco
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Sow outdoors in April
The hardier plants can now be sown directly outdoors. Many of the crops you can sow now—especially vegetables like lettuce and sugar snap peas—can also be sown in batches throughout the season to give you a longer and more staggered harvest.
Sow outdoors in a greenhouse, growing tunnel or hotbed
If you have a heated bed, grow tunnel, or greenhouse, you can also start pre-cultivating several plants there that you’ll later move outdoors. Many of the vegetables you could sow in March can also be sown now in April, such as carrots, arugula, and radishes.
Just remember that both greenhouses and grow tunnels can get really warm when the spring sun hits, so it’s a good idea to hang a curtain for shade or cover sensitive plants with garden fleece to prevent sunburn. A barrel or bucket of water in the greenhouse can help balance the temperature if there are large differences between day and night.
Sow outdoors in beds and planters
Even though the nights are still chilly, it’s possible to sow several seeds directly outdoors in April. Many seeds are hardy and will thrive as soon as temperatures rise above 5–6°C.
- Spinach
- Radishes
- Carrots
- Dill
- Romaine lettuce
- Parsley
- Loose-leaf lettuce
- Sugar snap peas
- Annual summer flowers
There’s plenty to do in April, but don’t forget to enjoy yourself. Take a coffee break in the spring sun and watch newly awakened small tortoiseshell butterflies or queen bumblebees busily searching for a new home.
Swedish garden inspirer, journalist and author of books about nature, cultivation and animals, such as "Soil", "Grow for insects" and "Chickens as a hobby".
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