April is a beautiful time of year with the leaves coming on, the grass turning green, the first of the flowers and lots of plants poking their heads out of the ground. There are many veggie and fruit seeds and transplants that can be put in the edible garden. It is still too chilly for most of the summer lovers. Big box stores, hardware stores, local nurseries, flea markets and farmers markets all have plants. This makes it easy to get your garden going in the spring. You can find many heirloom fruits and veggies transplants and seeds nowadays. For the unusual plants, buying on-line from seed companies is the way to go.
I would prepare the beds first with fertilizer and mulch before starting seeds or planting. You can do a soil test yourself or send off for one if you want to create a fertilizer specific to your needs. The next step in garden production and your nutrition-soil minerals
Here is a list of plants and seeds you can put in the April garden or outdoor pot.
April-transplants or seeds into the garden or pot Zone 6/7
- Artichoke
- Bee balm (monarda)
- Borage
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Cabbage
- Catnip
- Cauliflower
- Celeriac
- Celery
- Chard
- Cilantro
- Dill
- Endive
- Fennel
- Horseradish
- Kale
- Lavender
- Leeks
- Lemon balm
- Lettuce
- Lovage
- Mizuna
- Mustard
- Onions
- Parsley
- Radicchio
- Sage
- Spinach
- Strawberries
- Tarragon
- Thyme
- Valerian
Any of the above can also be started indoors and then transplanted outdoors into their permanent garden spot or pot.
April-start directly in the garden or pot
These edibles do best when started directly in their permanent spot. Almost all root vegetable do best being directly sown. Onions and leeks can be started from seed then transplanted to their permanent spot.
- Beans (snap-bush & pole) at end of April
- Beets
- Carrots
- Corn at end of April
- Fruit bushes (bare root or potted)
- Potatoes (seed potatoes)
- Radishes
- Turnips
April-start indoors for transplanting in May
- Basil
- Cucumber
- Eggplant
- Lemon verbena
- Melons
- Okra
- Peppers
- Stevia
- Summer and winter squash
- Tomatoes
Outdoor seed starting tip: I also like to put a pot on our covered deck and start seeds there. Once they are to a good size, I transplant them into their permanent pot or into the garden bed.
Melodie Metje is a retired engineer in Kentucky who started her blog, Victory Garden on the Golf Course, to help guide her family’s gardening efforts and to keep track of what was happening in her own garden. She named it after the victory gardens grown to help the WWII effort. Melodie thinks we are in a similar situation today: Our country needs our help in battling the war on ill health. Read all of her MOTHER EARTH NEWS posts here.
