April is a bumper seed sowing month. Every weekend is packed with a number of vegetable seeds to get sowing in the greenhouse or direct into the soil outdoors.

Temperatures have warmed up

In April, the outdoor temperatures should have warmed up, the soil temperatures have warmed up and the overnight temperatures should now be above 10 degrees centigrade for your tender plants like tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers and aubergines.

These Tender seedlings can be put in the unheated greenhouse to get more light all round to prevent ‘leggy’ seedlings.

Frost Risk

There is still a risk of frost until the end of April in my area which is the South East of the UK.

However with careful monitoring of the weather, you can see when there is any frost coming a few days in advance or if the temperatures fall below 10 degrees C so you can move tender seedlings indoors or protect fruit tree blossom.

April Daylight Hours

The reason April is one of the best and most popular months to start sowing seeds is the length of the daylight hours for growing plants.

As discussed in my article – January – Is it worth sowing seeds yet? The daylight hours in January were 7-8 hours a day.

In comparison to April, the daylight hours in the UK are now a whopping 13.5 hours a day.

This is why if your seeds and plants are not already starting to grow, they will definitely grow in April.

My Weekly Seed Sowing Plan for April

📋 Seeds needed for sowing in April

• Brussels Sprouts,
• Cabbage – Summer – white or red variety,
• 🥕 Carrot,
• 🥒 Mini Cucumbers,
• Radish,
• 🌽 Sweetcorn,
• Squash,
• 🎃 Pumpkin,
• Parsnip,
• 🥬 Lettuce,
• Spring Onions,
• Kohl Rabi – white or red variety,
• 🫘 French Bean,
• 🍅 Tomatoes – mine were sown at the end of March.

Week 1 – Sow in a Greenhouse

• Brussels Sprouts,
• Cabbage (Summer) – white or red varieties,

Week 1 – Sow Outdoors

• Radish – can be sown anytime in April.
• 🥕 Carrot – can be sown anytime in April.
• Spring Onions – can be sown anytime in April.
• ⭐️ Top Tip – Spring Onions – are best sown around carrots as carrot fly don’t like the onion smell.
• 🥬 Lettuce – can be sown in 2 week intervals throughout April.
• Kohl Rabi – white or red variety.
• ⭐️ Top Tip – Kohl Rabi – Belongs to the cabbage family so may need netting & hoops over it to keep out the cabbage white butterflies in the coming months.
• ✴️ Parsnip Preparation – Warm up the soil by putting a cloche or hoops and fleece over the area you want to sow Parsnip in Week 4.

Week 2 – Sow in a Greenhouse

• Squash,
• 🎃 Pumpkin,
• Pak Choi,
• 🍓 Buy and plant potted Strawberry Plants,
• 🌱 Pot up young Tomato Plants if they have 4 leaves.

Week 2 – Sow Outdoors

• 🥕 Carrot – can be sown anytime in April.
• 🧅 Plant out Onion Sets in cell trays into Raised Beds. This is to make room in the greenhouse for Week 3 sowings.

Week 3 – Sow in a Greenhouse

• Ball Courgettes,
• 🥒 Cucumbers – Mini,
• 🌽 Sweetcorn,

Week 3 – Sow Outdoors

• Swiss Chard,
• Radish – can be sown anytime in April.
• 🥬 Lettuce – can be sown in 2 week intervals throughout April.
• Cabbage – Summer (if you haven’t already sown in the greenhouse)

Week 4 – Sow in a Greenhouse

• 🫘 French Beans,

Week 4 – Sow Outdoors

• Parsnip (under the warm cloches setup in week 1),
• 🌽 Sweetcorn (direct in the soil, if you haven’t started it in a greenhouse).

Next Seed Sowings for May

The next Vegetable seeds you’ll need for sowing in May are as follows:

• Kale,
• 🥕 Carrot,
• Cauliflower (autumn),
• 🫛 Peas,
• Mange tout,
• 🥬 Lettuce,
• 🍈 Melon – Minnesota Midget (growing in the greenhouse),
• Cabbage (autumn),
• 🫘 Runner Beans.