5 Delicious Garden Favorites You May Be Able To Plant In April

Growing a kitchen garden requires careful planning to be succesful. A common gardening mistake which can make or break your efforts is choosing the wrong time to plant, as vegetables and fruit are heavily seasonal and their growth is affected by climate and temperature. That's why certain fruits and vegetables can be started in late winter, so the seedlings can be ready to plant outdoors in spring. This is especially true for summer crops that take longer to grow.

If you didn't start your seedlings on time, fear not. There are plenty of vegetable, fruit, and herb seeds that are best planted directly in the garden in April, whether you grow in soil, in raised beds, or even in containers. Garden staple veggies like radishes, carrots, beans, and peas are usually sown where they will grow rather than transplanted. Fruit that is grown from seed like melons and watermelons can be transplanted from starter plants, but it's best if they go directly in the soil now.

Plus, if you browse the garden section of your favorite DIY store, you'll likely find seedlings of veggies you may have missed sowing, like tomatoes, hot and sweet peppers, strawberries, eggplant, and cucumbers, ready to plant in the garden. Here is a short list of some delicious seed-to-garden vegetables that you can plant in April to enjoy all summer long.

Salad greens such as lettuce, spinach, arugula, and mizuna are fast growers that are among the easiest veggies and fruits to grow, even for beginner gardeners. This is crucial, since these healthy vegetables grow best in cooler conditions, as hotter temperatures signal the flowers to bolt (make flowers) which turns the leaves bitter. However, when sown directly in the garden in April, they will be ready to harvest before temperatures soar. 

You can pick young and tender leaves as baby greens to keep the plants going through the season, or choose cut-and-come-again lettuce varieties which will grow back after you cut them down to make your favorite salads. Look for "mesclun" seed packets, which include greens in a variety of colors and flavors.

Root crops like beets, carrots, and radishes also grow best in cooler temperatures, but you still have time to put them in the ground in April. Although radishes are among the fastest growing veggies — you can even grow many varieties of radish indoors through the winter — look for early varieties of beets and carrots so you can harvest them before the heat arrives. When shopping for carrot seeds, look for 'Nantes' or the globe-shaped 'Rondo,' which go from seed to harvest in 48 days. Most beet varieties can be harvested between 40 and 60 days, especially since you want to pick them young for best flavor. 

Green beans are a super rewarding vegetable to grow, as they germinate very fast — between five to 12 days depending on the variety — and produce abundant crops in 50 to 75 days. All beans prefer warm soil and sunny temperatures to grow, whether you plant bush beans in a small space or pole beans to climb up a trellis. April is the perfect time to get them going directly in the garden to enjoy fresh green bean recipes all summer. If you're feeling adventurous, try growing Chinese long beans or the striking rattlesnake beans, which can be enjoyed green or as dry beans.

April is the perfect time to plant potatoes in the garden, in a dedicated raised bed of their own, or even in containers, for both early and main crop varieties. Early potatoes, aka new potatoes, will be ready to harvest in about 12 weeks when planted in early April, which will make space in the garden for planting a fall or winter crop. For full-grown, main crop potatoes, plant from mid-April to early May to harvest August through October. In colder areas, you may need to plant a bit later, as little potato plants are susceptible to frost.

Because melons require a long, warm growing season — it takes 80 to 100 days from planting the seeds until the melons are ready for picking — it's best to start the seeds indoors for earlier rewards. However, if you're seeding directly in the ground, you can still do it in April as long as the soil and air temperatures are warm. There are many varieties of melons to try in the garden, and even if you're short on space, you can grow personal-sized melons like 'Tasty Bites' or 'Sugarcube.' Plant melons in full sun in well-drained soil to ensure a delicious summer harvest.