Written By Lara Wadsworth

They say that April showers bring May flowers. I say that April seed sowing brings September harvesting! It's not quite as quippy, but it's still true. For much of the country, April is just the beginning of gardening season, while it is right in the middle for others. Wherever you grow, April is a great month to get your garden rolling or to keep the momentum going.

What Hardiness Zone Am I In?

Understanding your USDA growing zone is the only way you can effectively plan your garden. While your USDA hardiness zone doesn’t completely determine what you can grow, it is a great place to start identifying what and when to plant. This map assigns a zone number to each region of the United States based on the average winter low temperatures experienced annually. Your zone number is essential for determining what plants will thrive in your area. However, the information you gain from identifying your growing zone should also be paired with understanding your first and last frost dates as this will determine how long your growing season is. Visit the USDA’s website and enter your zip code to discover what zone you are working with! For simplicity, I’m leaving out the subclasses like “a” and “b,” as they don’t significantly affect seed-starting timelines.

Last Frost Dates

Knowing your zone is a great place to start, but you should also learn your last frost date for your area. This can differ across different locations with the same hardiness zone because of factors like humidity, elevation, and standard weather patterns. You can easily find out the typical last frost date for your area by contacting your local extension office or using climate.gov interactive map tool. From there, count backward from that date to figure out how many weeks you have until planting time.

Seed packets usually offer guidelines such as “Start seeds indoors 6–8 weeks before the last frost.” This gives you a precise window for starting your seeds. To make things easier, mark key dates on a calendar, including when to start and transplant your seeds outdoors. I’ve also included the typical weeks-to-planting window for each USDA zone in my guides so you can easily adjust for your specific location. Use these two numbers and any local recommendations or resources to determine your best planting schedule.

Basic Gardening Supplies for Spring and Summer Gardens

April is typically when you see a mix of vegetable and flower seeds that can be started indoors or directly sown outside. Which direction you go will really come down to the specific preferences of the seeds you want to grow and how wet and cold April typically is for you. Regardless of these differences, there are several tools that are important for any gardener to keep on hand. These include the standard gardeners hand tools, planting string, seeding tools, hand pruners, weed popper, and a trusty 5-gallon bucket for weeding, harvesting, or a nice seat for those moments when you just need a little rest. Each of these have proven their ability to stand the test of time with durable construction and usability throughout the garden season. You don’t want to be caught without them!

Basic Seed Starting Supplies

While April is a great month for directly sowing seeds into the ground, there are some seeds that prefer a more controlled environment to get started. I recommend using a seed starting kit such as the basic seed starter kit for growing 12-48 seedlings, or upgrading to the deluxe and premium options for growing 72-288 seedlings. You’ll also need a good seed starting mix, such as coconut coir mixed with perlite. Avoid using outdoor garden soil for indoor seed starting, as it’s unsuitable for this purpose and can hinder seed growth because of its bulky or heavy components.

While those are the basics, light and heat are frequently overlooked. Placing seed trays by a window might provide light, but it can also make the seeds too cold. And, windowsills usually don’t offer enough light (8+ hours of direct sunlight) for delicate seedlings. Using heating mats and grow lights resolves both of these problems! When I upgraded my seed starting setup with proper heat and grow lights, I saw a noticeable improvement in the strength and growth of my seedlings. grow tents are another useful tool for indoor seed starting, although they are best used year-round for the greatest return on your dollar.

Zone 3

Zone 3 represents the coldest regions in the U.S. and includes areas in Alaska,Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Maine, and Vermont. April is prime seed-starting season for those growing in zone 3. The bulk of seeds you will need to plant ahead of time should be started sometime this month. April may still bring a few frosty days, but there is tangible hope for spring just around the corner.

• Approximate Weeks Until Last Frost: 6-8
• Last Frost Date Window: Mid May to early June
• Seeds to Start Indoors: Crucifers, such as collard greens and cabbage; Brassicas, like cauliflower and broccoli; Warm-season flowers, like marigolds; Nightshades, like peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants; Alliums, like onions and leeks; Cucurbits, like melons, cucumbers, and pumpkins. Lastly, start any other cool-season crops you may want to plant out before the last frost date has passed, such as spinach, endives, and celery.
• Seeds to Sow or Transplant Outdoors: Row covers can be used to sow cold, hardy crops outdoors towards the end of April. Consider early cabbage, horseradish, Swiss chard, and alliums (onion seeds, transplants, and sets).

Zone 4

Zone 4 covers regions such as parts of Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Michigan, Wisconsin, New York, and Maine. April brings some hard-earned sunshine to zone 4. While the soil is thawing and the air temperatures are rising, the last frost date is close enough that if you haven’t started any seeds yet indoors, you may struggle to get a good harvest from long-season crops like peppers and tomatoes.

• Approximate Weeks Until Last Frost: 4-6
• Last Frost Date Window: Mid-April to Late-May
• Seeds to Start Indoors: Brassicas like collard greens and cauliflower; Leafy greens like lettuce and orach; Cucurbits like cucumber, melon, and gourd. If you are starting any strawberry plants from seed, now is the time to do it!
• Seeds to Sow or Transplant Outdoors: Endive, spring radish, spinach.

Zone 5

In Zone 5, which includes parts of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. With just about a month before the arrival of the last frost, April is a busy time for zone 5. It is full of sowing your last indoor starts and caring for your seedlings that were previously started indoors. April is a big transition month for Zone 5, with many back-and-forth days, some above and some below freezing. Only frost-hardy varieties should be planted outside.

• Approximate Weeks Until Last Frost: 2-5
• Last Frost Date Window: Mid-April to Late-May
• Seeds to Start Indoors: Cucurbits like melons, cucumber, and zucchini; Warm-season herbs such as basil. Also, plant other last-minute brassicas, flowers, and leafy greens you haven’t started yet.
• Seeds to Sow or Transplant Outdoors: Depending on the amount of snow you get, you can start your early spring garden outdoors. Cool-season crops like celery, beets, endives, and spinach can withstand frosts. Root vegetables such as parsnips, carrots, rutabaga, and potatoes can also be planted outdoors before the frost date passes. You can also directly sow wildflower seeds and spring cover crops during this time.

Zone 6

Zone six includes parts of Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. April includes many days that are above freezing, but the nighttime temperatures are still too low for many tender annuals to survive. However, this is the time to plant cold-hardy varieties outdoors. Any warm-season plants should be started indoors. Even though the last frost date has not passed in some areas, there is much to do! Mid to end of April is the perfect time to start hardening off pre-started seedlings before their outdoor planting date comes.

• Approximate Weeks Until Last Frost: 1-3
• Last Frost Date Window: April to Mid-May
• Seeds to Start Indoors: Any seeds you haven’t yet started indoors that need to be, such as cucurbits, herbs, flowers, brassicas (including crucifers), and leafy greens. Note that if you haven't yet started your nightshade seeds like peppers and tomatoes, you still can, but should expect to see fruiting later than those who may have planted nursery starts. Be sure to keep the length of your growing season in mind (number of days from last spring frost to first fall frost).
• Seeds to Sow or Transplant Outdoors: Any cool season crops that can handle light frosts can be directly sown (or transplanted if you started them ahead of time), such as peas,spring onions, root vegetables like rutabaga and parsnip, and cool season herbs like parsley or cilantro.

Zone 7

In Zone 7, which includes areas like Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey. April in zone 7 is the beginning of a beautiful growing season. Pretty much anything can be planted outdoors. This is also the time to do all of your transplanting of starts that you began from seed weeks earlier. Don’t forget to keep a close eye on the weather throughout April; you never know what is going to happen in these spring months, and you may need to protect your plants if a late frost is predicted.

• Approximate Weeks Until Last Frost: 0-3
• Last Frost Date Window: Mid-March to April
• Seeds to Start Indoors: Starting seeds indoors in zone 7 during April is unnecessary unless you want a more controlled environment for seed germination.
• Seeds to Sow or Transplant Outdoors: Legumes such as peas and beans; Cover crops like vetch; Cool-season crops, such as spinach, spring radishes, and kale that can handle a light frost and will mature before the heat of summer sets in. In late April, sow any other seeds that need to be directly sown in the garden, such as carrots and corn, or those you are choosing to directly sow instead of starting ahead of time, like cucurbits, strawberries, and lettuce.

Zone 8

Zone 8, which includes parts of Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. There is no risk of frost in April for Zone 8, which makes gardening so much fun! If you haven’t already, April is the month to get your garden outside and growing. Keep focusing on cool-season crops that will need to mature before summer sets in. You can interplant them with the slow-growing annuals that will need lots of space later on. Notice by April, in Zone 8, we are counting down to the first frost of fall rather than the spring frost because it already passed.

• Approximate Weeks Until First Fall Frost: 28-32
• First Fall Frost Date Window: November - December
• Seeds to Start Indoors: It is unnecessary to plant indoor seeds in this zone in April. However, you may grow herbs, microgreens, or sprouts indoors for quick and nutrient-dense harvesting
• Seeds to Sow or Transplant Outdoors: Legumes such as field peas, clover, and beans (pole, snap, and lima); cucurbits like cucumber, squash, and melon; sweet corn; nightshades like tomatoes and peppers; tender herbs such as basil and cilantro; and any plants that are at risk of bolting in high heat (going to seed too quickly) should be planted now if they haven’t already. This includes leafy greens, herbs, root vegetables, and brassicas.

Zone 9

If winter for you is some cool, rainy weather and the possibility of a freeze maybe once or twice a year, you may live in zone 9. Zone 9, including parts of Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. By April, these areas are experiencing weather akin to summer in many northern zones. Most seeds that need to be started indoors should already be started. April is for direct sowing any seeds you haven’t planted yet and transplanting seedlings you already started earlier in the spring. You may already be gathering a harvest of cool-season vegetables and herbs. We are counting down to the first frost of fall rather than the spring frost.

• Approximate Weeks Until First Fall Frost: 30-34
• Last Frost Date Window: November - December
• Seeds to Start Indoors: It is not necessary to plant any seeds indoors in this zone in April. Consider supplementing your outdoor harvest with fresh microgreens or sprouts grown from the comfort of your kitchen!
• Seeds to Sow Outdoors: Beans, southern peas, and sweet potatoes as well as any crops you want to succession plant, such as lettuce, bunching onions, and early melons.

Zone 10

Zone 10, which includes parts of California, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, and Southern Florida experiences very mild winters. These areas do not have to worry about frost or cold weather except once in a blue moon. In April, the main concern for zone 10 is ensuring that any cooler weather crops get in and grow before the heat gets too intense. Zone 10 gardeners have to plan more around the scorching temperatures of mid-summer than any risk of frost.

• Approximate Weeks Until Frost: 0
• Last Frost Date Window: Does not typically experience frosts.
• Seeds to Start Indoors: During April, it is unnecessary to plant seeds indoors in zone 10 unless you want a controlled environment or wish to supplement outdoor harvests with microgreens, sprouts, or herbs grown indoors.
• Seeds to Sow or Transplant Outdoors: Legumes like beans and peas; spring vegetables like lettuce, radishes, beets, and spinach. If needed, direct sow cucurbit (melon, squash, cucumber) seeds, corn, and okra. This month, transplant all your nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants) outdoors if you haven’t already.

While April is the perfect season to get your gardens started if you haven’t already, you should also take note of any unexpected frosts or heavy rains that may damage your new garden. We recommend familiarizing yourself with any common gardening practices and expectations associated with your local conditions by contacting your local extension services. These are available in every state!

Lara Wadsworth, True Leaf Market Writer

I am a native of Southwestern Michigan, where I also reside, and I love all things plants! I got a Bachelor's Degree in Horticulture and found the first work-from-home job I could get. Now, I spend my days writing for TLM, playing with my dog, eating delicious food with my husband, and plotting my next landscape or gardening move. I believe everyone should get down and dirty in the soil now and then. Happy Gardening!