What to Plant in April in Zone 5
Here is what you can sow in April if you garden in USDA zone 5. Dates use typical zone 5 frosts, so your own microclimate may shift them by a week or two.
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| Crop | Window | Sow between |
|---|---|---|
| Bush BeanProvider | spring | Apr 30 – Jun 20 |
| Snap PeaSugar Snap | spring | Mar 9 – Apr 20 |
| PotatoKennebec | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 25 |
| CilantroCalypso | spring | Mar 23 – May 7 |
| ParsleyItalian Flat-Leaf | spring | Mar 23 – May 7 |
| Lettuce, leafSalad Bowl | spring | Mar 23 – May 7 |
| Lettuce, romaineChalupa | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 25 |
| Lettuce, headButtercrunch | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 25 |
| SpinachBloomsdale | spring | Mar 9 – Apr 20 |
| ArugulaAstro | spring | Mar 23 – May 7 |
| KaleDazzling Blue | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 20 |
| Swiss ChardBright Lights | spring | Apr 6 – May 21 |
| CollardsGeorgia Southern | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 25 |
| Mustard GreensFlorida Broadleaf | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 25 |
| CabbageTiara | spring | Mar 9 – Apr 6 |
| BroccoliBelstar | spring | Mar 9 – Apr 6 |
| CauliflowerSnow Crown | spring | Mar 9 – Apr 5 |
| KohlrabiWinner | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 25 |
| CarrotNapoli | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 25 |
| BeetDetroit Dark Red | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 25 |
| RadishCherry Belle | spring | Mar 23 – May 7 |
| TurnipPurple Top | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 25 |
| Onion, bulbTexas Legend | spring | Feb 20 – Apr 5 |
| Onion, bunchingEvergreen | spring | Mar 23 – May 7 |
| Fava Bean (Broad Bean)Broad Windsor | spring | Mar 19 – Apr 20 |
| English Shelling PeaLittle Marvel | spring | Mar 9 – Apr 20 |
| Garbanzo Bean (Chickpea)Sierra | spring | Apr 16 – May 21 |
| Napa CabbageBlues F1 | spring | Mar 16 – Apr 10 |
| Bok ChoyJoi Choi F1 | spring | Mar 19 – Apr 16 |
| Rapini (Broccoli Raab)Zamboni F1 | spring | Mar 11 – Apr 10 |
| Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli)Crispy Blue | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 12 |
| TatsoiTatsoi | spring | Mar 6 – Apr 10 |
| MizunaMizuna Early | spring | Mar 6 – Apr 16 |
| Daikon RadishMiyashige | spring | Mar 16 – Apr 10 |
| EndiveFrisée Fine Maraîchère | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 20 |
| EscaroleBatavian Full Heart | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 20 |
| SorrelProfusion | spring | Mar 9 – Apr 20 |
| Amaranth LeafRed Garnet | spring | Apr 30 – May 21 |
| New Zealand SpinachCommon | spring | Apr 30 – May 14 |
| WatercressCommon | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 20 |
| CeleryTango | spring | Apr 2 – Apr 30 |
| ShallotAmbition | spring | Mar 5 – Apr 9 |
| SalsifyMammoth Sandwich Island | spring | Mar 5 – Apr 9 |
| Fennel, FlorenceOrion | spring | Mar 19 – Apr 23 |
| Strawberry, day-neutralAlbion | spring | Apr 16 – May 21 |
| DillFernleaf | spring | Apr 23 – Jun 11 |
| OreganoGreek | spring | Apr 23 – Jun 11 |
| ThymeEnglish | spring | Apr 23 – Jun 11 |
| RosemaryTuscan Blue | spring | Apr 30 – Jun 11 |
| SageBroadleaf | spring | Apr 30 – Jun 11 |
| MintSpearmint | spring | Apr 30 – Jun 25 |
| ChivesCommon | spring | Apr 16 – Jun 11 |
| ChervilCurled | spring | Apr 9 – May 14 |
| BlueberryBluecrop (northern highbush) | spring | Apr 16 – May 24 |
| Raspberry, redHeritage (everbearing) | spring | Apr 9 – May 14 |
| BlackberryTriple Crown (thornless) | spring | Apr 16 – May 21 |
| Strawberry, June-bearingHoneoye | spring | Apr 16 – May 21 |
| GooseberryHinnonmaki Red | spring | Apr 9 – May 14 |
| Haskap (Honeyberry)Borealis | spring | Mar 31 – May 7 |
| ElderberryAdams | spring | Apr 16 – May 28 |
| AsparagusJersey Knight | spring | Apr 9 – May 14 |
| RhubarbVictoria | spring | Mar 31 – May 14 |
| HorseradishBig Top | spring | Apr 16 – May 30 |
| Sunchoke (Jerusalem Artichoke)Stampede | spring | Apr 9 – Apr 28 |
| Artichoke, globeImperial Star | spring | Apr 2 – May 7 |
| LavenderMunstead (English) | spring | Apr 30 – Jun 11 |
| BorageCommon | spring | Apr 30 – Jul 9 |
| Catmint (Catnip)Nepeta cataria | spring | Apr 30 – Jun 29 |
| Bean | spring | Apr 30 – Jun 20 |
| Lettuce | spring | Mar 23 – May 7 |
| Onion | spring | Feb 20 – Apr 5 |
| NasturtiumJewel Mix | spring | Apr 30 – Jun 11 |
| Calendula (Pot Marigold)Resina | spring | Apr 9 – May 14 |
| Chamomile, GermanCommon | spring | Apr 16 – May 28 |
| Mache (Corn Salad)Vit | spring | Mar 16 – Apr 23 |
| Cress, gardenCurled | spring | Mar 23 – May 14 |
| Currant, redRed Lake | spring | Apr 9 – May 14 |
Zone 5 in April
April in Zone 5: Racing the Last Frost
The frost date that ends the discussion
Zone 5's last frost typically lands close to April 30, which makes April a month of two very different halves. Early April still belongs to cool-season crops that shrug off a light frost, but by the back half of the month the calculus shifts toward starting tender crops that cannot go outside until frost risk clears. Track a 10-day forecast rather than the calendar date alone, since a hard frost 3 or 4 days past the average is common enough that growers who plant tender starts on April 30 sharp lose a tray most years.
Celery opens, and nothing else quite like it
Celery is the one crop that opens for the first time this month and nowhere else, and it is also one of the slowest starts in the whole calendar: figure on 10 to 12 weeks under lights before a transplant is ready to leave the tray, on top of the 2 to 3 weeks the seed itself can take just to sprout at a steady 70 degrees. Start it indoors now and plan on moving it out well into early summer rather than May, since pushing a young celery start into the ground before it has finished that stretch invites the same bolting risk a cold snap would cause. Keep the germinating trays covered with plastic wrap to hold humidity, since celery seed dries out and stops germinating within hours of the surface going dry, a failure gardeners often blame on bad seed when it is really a moisture lapse.
Thirty-odd crops are closing their window this month
April is also when the earliest cool-season sowings from March hit their outdoor deadline, since soil temperatures climbing past 65 degrees push crops like spinach and lettuce toward bolting before they size up. If a bed of March-sown greens has not been thinned yet, do it now: crowded seedlings bolt 1 to 2 weeks earlier than properly spaced ones, since competition for light reads to the plant as a signal to rush to seed. Anyone who wants a second round of these crops should get seed in the ground in the first half of April rather than the back half.
April in zone 5: common questions
What can I plant in April in zone 5?+
In April, USDA zone 5 gardeners can sow Bush Bean, Snap Pea, Potato, Cilantro, Parsley, Lettuce, leaf, and more. Dates use typical zone 5 frosts, so your own microclimate may shift them by a week or two.
What USDA hardiness zone am I in?+
Zone 5 is one band of the map, but planting time is set by your local frost dates, not the zone number. Enter your ZIP code in the free planner and it uses your actual frost dates, which can differ by weeks within a single zone.
Are these April planting dates exact?+
They are typical zone 5 windows. Two gardens in the same zone can be a week or two apart because of elevation and local climate, so treat these as a starting point and tune them to your ZIP code with the free planner.