April Planting Guide by Zone
Click on your Zone for details.
Zones 1 – 4
- On warmer days, clean up the garden if it was not done last fall. Rake up any leaves, remove winter mulch, remove any dead plants, and mix in at least 2 inches of compost in your garden soil.
- When the weather allows and the soil has warmed and dried, plant onion bulbs, lettuce, spinach, peas, sweet peas, carrots, collards, and parsnips in the garden.
- Towards the end of the month, transplant tomato starts into larger pots. Give room so plants don’t touch and trigger a growth spurt; also, give plenty of light – a fluorescent plant and aquarium bulb 6 inches above the stars for 16 – 18 hours a day is ideal.
- Transplant hearty broccoli and early cabbage seedlings at the end of the month.
- Start seeds of squash and melons indoors.
- To grow great broccoli, start seeds indoors for an early crop. Transplant in mid-May.
Zones 5 – 6
- If you haven’t already, don’t delay your garden clean-up any longer. You don’t want to rush to clean before you can plant. Remove last year’s dead plants, rake back winter mulches, and top-dress beds with at least 2 inches of compost.
- Direct sow spinach and lettuce seeds in the garden for tender leaves before the weather warms. Depending on the weather, this could be a first or second planting.
- Most cold-tolerant vegetables can be direct sown – beets, peas, lettuce, collards, turnips, carrots, Brussels sprouts, Swiss chard, kale, kohlrabi, onion seeds and onion bulbs, parsley, parsnips, radishes, and spinach. Install a trellis for peas to climb on as soon as they sprout.
- Sow pollinator-attracting seed mixes in various areas of the garden and on your property. They will acclimatize to the temperature swings and germinate when conditions are right.
- If you planted peas late last month, install a trellis of sturdy wire fencing, chicken wire, or ready-made that is at least three feet tall. Otherwise, plant peas as soon as the soil can be worked this month.
- Do a slow and careful garden fence check to see if your fence is in good shape to exclude animal pests. Make sure to look right at and just above ground level for evidence of holes or broken wire.
Zones 7 – 8
- Pass up broccoli and cabbage on sale at garden centers—the upcoming hot weather will cause plants to go to seed instead of forming edible heads.
- Thin crowded carrots, chard, and lettuce.
- Remove floating row covers from peas early in the month. Drive tall, twiggy branches into the ground next to the plants for support.
- Mulch around the base of cool-season crops to keep their roots cool and moist.
- Direct sow annual flower seeds, keeping the soil moist until the seeds germinate.
- Prune winter damage on your herb plants. Look for new growth developing on the lower part of the herbs, and cut the plant back by 1/3 to 1/2 to the healthy new shoots.
- Remember to water your plants more frequently as the weather warms up and the days lengthen.
- Plant okra toward the end of the month, as it does better with warmer soil.
- Start succession plantings now to have a continuous harvest throughout the growing season.
- Beware of insects and other pests in your garden. Keep an eye on your garden for aphids, spider mites, etc., and take action when necessary to eliminate the pests. Early action now will save later catastrophic losses.
Zones 9 – 10
- Plant pumpkins, summer squash, melons, sweet corn, cucumbers and other vegetables that thrive in heat. Corn does best planted in a block so the pollen can drift across the highest number of plants.
- Sow seeds of nasturtiums, marigolds, purslane, amaranth, sage, sunflowers, and zinnias. Now is also a good time for Malabar spinach – give them some shade and extra water till they become established.
- Plant an herb garden. Basil, parsley, oregano, chives, sage, rosemary, and thyme are good choices. Give the garden some shade, and you’ll have a better summer harvest.
- Beans should go in now – shelly, snap, and dry beans.
- Now is the last time for succession planting carrots before the fall.
- Mulch your garden well to preserve moisture and keep down weeds.
Zone Planting Guides
Planting charts for your Zone
Zone 3
Zone 3 is the coldest and shortest of the USDA garden zones.
Zone 4
Zone 5
Zone 6
Zone 7
Zone 8
Zone 9
Zone 10
USDA Zones vs First & Last Frost Dates
Which to Use and Why
USDA Zone Maps
These guides show the lowest average temperatures recorded in the area over the past 30 years.
They are a good basis for initial planning and comparison but should not be used as the only source of information for choosing what vegetables to grow or when to plant.
The Zone information is helpful when exchanging ideas with gardeners in different zones, as it is user-friendly.
Find your USDA hardiness zone here.
Scroll using your cursor to grab and move the map, then zoom in with the + and – buttons at the top left. Once you can see your town, city, or location, click on the map to see your Zone info in a popup window.
First & Last Frost Dates Tool
This frost dates tool provides detailed and accurate information for sowing seed, transplanting, and using frost protection to extend the growing season.
It includes historical data from numerous regional NOAA weather stations to help determine the likelihood of frost in spring and fall.
Find your First and Last frost dates here.
Enter your ZIP code and scroll down to see general information and the three closest weather stations to you.