What to Plant in April in Zone 6
Here is what you can sow in April if you garden in USDA zone 6. Dates use typical zone 6 frosts, so your own microclimate may shift them by a week or two.
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| Crop | Window | Sow between |
|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicingBig Beef | spring | Apr 27 – Jun 27 |
| Tomato, cherrySun Gold | spring | Apr 27 – Jun 27 |
| Tomato, pasteAmish Paste | spring | Apr 27 – Jun 27 |
| Cucumber, slicingMarketmore 76 | spring | Apr 27 – Jul 27 |
| Cucumber, picklingExcelsior | spring | Apr 27 – Jul 27 |
| Squash, summerZucchini Dunja | spring | Apr 27 – Aug 10 |
| Sweet CornInspiration | spring | Apr 27 – Jul 25 |
| Bush BeanProvider | spring | Apr 20 – Jun 10 |
| Pole BeanKentucky Wonder | spring | Apr 27 – Jun 27 |
| Snap PeaSugar Snap | spring | Feb 27 – Apr 10 |
| PotatoKennebec | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 15 |
| CilantroCalypso | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 27 |
| ParsleyItalian Flat-Leaf | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 27 |
| Lettuce, leafSalad Bowl | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 27 |
| Lettuce, romaineChalupa | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 15 |
| Lettuce, headButtercrunch | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 15 |
| SpinachBloomsdale | spring | Feb 27 – Apr 10 |
| ArugulaAstro | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 27 |
| KaleDazzling Blue | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 10 |
| Swiss ChardBright Lights | spring | Mar 27 – May 11 |
| CollardsGeorgia Southern | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 15 |
| Mustard GreensFlorida Broadleaf | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 15 |
| KohlrabiWinner | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 15 |
| CarrotNapoli | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 15 |
| BeetDetroit Dark Red | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 15 |
| RadishCherry Belle | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 27 |
| TurnipPurple Top | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 15 |
| Onion, bunchingEvergreen | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 27 |
| Lima Bean (Bush)Henderson | spring | Apr 27 – Jun 19 |
| Edamame (Soybean)Envy | spring | Apr 27 – Jun 24 |
| Fava Bean (Broad Bean)Broad Windsor | spring | Mar 9 – Apr 10 |
| English Shelling PeaLittle Marvel | spring | Feb 27 – Apr 10 |
| Garbanzo Bean (Chickpea)Sierra | spring | Apr 6 – May 11 |
| Bean, dryPinto | spring | Apr 27 – Jun 19 |
| Corn, dent (grinding)Reid's Yellow Dent | spring | Apr 27 – Jun 4 |
| Bok ChoyJoi Choi F1 | spring | Mar 9 – Apr 6 |
| Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli)Crispy Blue | spring | Mar 3 – Apr 2 |
| MizunaMizuna Early | spring | Feb 24 – Apr 6 |
| EndiveFrisée Fine Maraîchère | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 10 |
| EscaroleBatavian Full Heart | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 10 |
| SorrelProfusion | spring | Feb 27 – Apr 10 |
| Amaranth LeafRed Garnet | spring | Apr 20 – May 11 |
| New Zealand SpinachCommon | spring | Apr 20 – May 4 |
| WatercressCommon | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 10 |
| CeleryTango | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 20 |
| Fennel, FlorenceOrion | spring | Mar 9 – Apr 13 |
| TomatilloToma Verde | spring | Apr 27 – Jun 27 |
| Ground CherryAunt Molly's | spring | Apr 27 – Jun 27 |
| Strawberry, day-neutralAlbion | spring | Apr 6 – May 11 |
| DillFernleaf | spring | Apr 13 – Jun 1 |
| OreganoGreek | spring | Apr 13 – Jun 1 |
| ThymeEnglish | spring | Apr 13 – Jun 1 |
| RosemaryTuscan Blue | spring | Apr 20 – Jun 1 |
| SageBroadleaf | spring | Apr 20 – Jun 1 |
| MintSpearmint | spring | Apr 20 – Jun 15 |
| ChivesCommon | spring | Apr 6 – Jun 1 |
| ChervilCurled | spring | Mar 30 – May 4 |
| BlueberryBluecrop (northern highbush) | spring | Apr 6 – May 20 |
| Raspberry, redHeritage (everbearing) | spring | Mar 30 – May 4 |
| BlackberryTriple Crown (thornless) | spring | Apr 6 – May 11 |
| Strawberry, June-bearingHoneoye | spring | Apr 6 – May 11 |
| GooseberryHinnonmaki Red | spring | Mar 30 – May 4 |
| Haskap (Honeyberry)Borealis | spring | Mar 21 – Apr 27 |
| ElderberryAdams | spring | Apr 6 – May 20 |
| AsparagusJersey Knight | spring | Mar 30 – May 4 |
| RhubarbVictoria | spring | Mar 21 – May 4 |
| HorseradishBig Top | spring | Apr 6 – May 20 |
| Sunchoke (Jerusalem Artichoke)Stampede | spring | Mar 30 – May 8 |
| Artichoke, globeImperial Star | spring | Mar 23 – Apr 27 |
| LavenderMunstead (English) | spring | Apr 20 – Jun 1 |
| BorageCommon | spring | Apr 20 – Jun 29 |
| Catmint (Catnip)Nepeta cataria | spring | Apr 20 – Jun 19 |
| Scarlet Runner BeanScarlet Emperor | spring | Apr 27 – Jun 19 |
| PopcornRobust Pop | spring | Apr 27 – Jun 16 |
| Tomato | spring | Apr 27 – Jun 27 |
| Cucumber | spring | Apr 27 – Jul 27 |
| Bean | spring | Apr 20 – Jun 10 |
| Lettuce | spring | Mar 13 – Apr 27 |
| NasturtiumJewel Mix | spring | Apr 20 – Jun 1 |
| Calendula (Pot Marigold)Resina | spring | Mar 30 – May 4 |
| Chamomile, GermanCommon | spring | Apr 6 – May 18 |
| Mache (Corn Salad)Vit | spring | Mar 6 – Apr 13 |
| Cress, gardenCurled | spring | Mar 13 – May 4 |
| Currant, redRed Lake | spring | Mar 30 – May 4 |
Zone 6 in April
April in Zone 6: Tomatoes Go In a Month Ahead of the Colder Zones
The last frost date that changes everything
Zone 6's last frost typically arrives around April 20, roughly 10 days ahead of the zone just north, and that gap is the whole reason tomato and cucumber can go in as soon as frost clears rather than waiting for May. Sweet corn and snap bean follow close behind, but frost clearance alone does not clear them: corn wants soil holding 55 degrees at 2 inches and beans want a full 60 at that same depth before either seed is safe going into the ground, so check a thermometer rather than counting days off the frost date alone. That head start is real, but it is also the most common way Zone 6 gardeners lose a tray of transplants, since a frost 5 to 7 days past the average date is common enough to matter, and tender crops set out right on April 20 sharp have no buffer at all.
Watch the 10-day forecast, not the average date
Treat April 20 as the center of a range rather than a hard line, and hold tender transplants back until overnight lows are forecast to stay above 50 degrees for at least a week straight. A cold snap that would only stress a hardened-off cabbage seedling can kill a tomato outright, since tomato tissue starts taking damage anywhere below that 50-degree mark even without a true freeze, a fact that catches gardeners who confuse frost tolerance with cold tolerance.
Spring crops are on a fast countdown behind the new arrivals
While the warm-season crops move in, a long list of March plantings is closing out, from spinach to fava beans, since Zone 6's quicker warm-up shortens their harvest window compared with a slower-warming zone. Pull and use spring greens as soon as they size up rather than letting them sit, since a warm April week here can push a crop from ready to bolted in under 5 days.
April in zone 6: common questions
What can I plant in April in zone 6?+
In April, USDA zone 6 gardeners can sow Tomato, slicing, Tomato, cherry, Tomato, paste, Cucumber, slicing, Cucumber, pickling, Squash, summer, and more. Dates use typical zone 6 frosts, so your own microclimate may shift them by a week or two.
What USDA hardiness zone am I in?+
Zone 6 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 6 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.