What to plant in April in the South

Worked out for 46 cities from their own weather and frost dates, by zone.

What to sow and plant in April in the South, by zone: frost-free, highs of 72–82 °F (Atlanta, Charlotte and 23 more): tomato, bell pepper, zucchini, green beans, cucumber and 23 more; frost-free, highs of 61–72 °F (Washington, D.C., Nashville and 11 more): peas, radish, beet, tomato, bell pepper and 29 more; frost possible, highs of 61–72 °F (Louisville, Lexington and 6 more): peas, lettuce, radish, Swiss chard, beet and 30 more.

In the South, April is spring.

Frost-free, highs of 72–82 °F: Atlanta, Charlotte, Oklahoma City, Raleigh and 21 more

In April, on average, these cities have highs of 72 to 78 °F and lows of 50 to 63 °F, 3.0 to 7.9 in of rain on 7 to 12 days; the day lasts 12 h 53 min to 13 h 05 min (on the 15th).

No frost in April in 10 years of data: frost-tender crops can go in too, if it is warm enough for them.

How	What	Where
sow direct	Peas, beet, parsley, cilantro, chamomile, dill, mustard greens	Atlanta, Charlotte, Oklahoma City and 5 more
start indoors, plant out in June	Tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, chili pepper	Atlanta, Charlotte, Oklahoma City and 21 more
start indoors, plant out in May or sow direct	Zucchini, watermelon, pumpkin, basil, luffa, okra, peanut	all
sow direct	Green Beans	Atlanta, Charlotte, Oklahoma City and 21 more
start indoors, plant out in May	Cucumber	all
start indoors, plant out in May	Melon, achocha	Atlanta, Charlotte, Oklahoma City and 21 more
sow direct	Sweet Corn, arugula, bok choy, borage, chayote, corn, Florence fennel, kiwano, Napa cabbage	all
start indoors, plant out in July	Celeriac, celery	Atlanta, Charlotte, Oklahoma City and 21 more
start indoors, plant out in June or sow direct	Moringa	Atlanta, Charlotte, Oklahoma City and 21 more
sow direct	Soybean	New Orleans, Savannah, Charleston and 11 more

Compared with March: no longer sown — broad bean, onion, lettuce, radish, cabbage, Swiss chard, chickpea, kohlrabi and 1 more.

Not starting in April: lettuce (October, started indoors) and spinach (October, started indoors) — dates for Charleston.

Ready to harvest in April in Charleston, if sown in the right month: broad bean (January), peas (February), lettuce (February), radish (March), carrot (February), cabbage (December), broccoli (January) and Swiss chard (February).

Frost-free, highs of 61–72 °F: Washington, D.C., Nashville, Memphis, Baltimore and 9 more

In April, on average, these cities have highs of 64 to 71 °F and lows of 47 to 53 °F, 3.4 to 6.1 in of rain on 9 to 13 days; the day lasts 13 h 02 min to 13 h 13 min (on the 15th).

No frost in April in 10 years of data: frost-tender crops can go in too, if it is warm enough for them.

How	What	Where
sow direct	Peas, beet, parsley, cilantro, chamomile, dill, mustard greens	Washington, D.C., Nashville, Baltimore and 9 more
sow direct	Lettuce, Swiss chard, kohlrabi	Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Dover and 2 more
sow direct	Radish	Washington, D.C., Nashville, Baltimore and 7 more
start indoors, plant out in June	Tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, chili pepper, moringa	all
start indoors, plant out in May	Zucchini, cucumber, melon, watermelon, pumpkin, basil, achocha, luffa, okra, peanut	all
sow direct	Green Beans	Memphis and Tulsa
sow direct	Sweet Corn, arugula, bok choy, borage, chayote, corn, Florence fennel, Napa cabbage	all
start indoors, plant out in July	Celeriac, celery	all
start indoors, plant out in May or sow direct	Kiwano	all

Compared with March: new — green beans, borage and corn; no longer sown — broad bean, onion, spinach, carrot, cabbage, broccoli, daikon, kale and 4 more.

Not starting in April: spinach (October, started indoors) — dates for Virginia Beach.

Ready to harvest in April in Virginia Beach, if sown in the right month: broad bean (January), peas (February), spinach (February), lettuce (February), radish (March), carrot (February), cabbage (December) and Swiss chard (February).

Frost possible, highs of 61–72 °F: Louisville, Lexington, Frankfort, Charleston, West Virginia and 4 more

In April, on average, these cities have highs of 64 to 69 °F and lows of 43 to 47 °F, 3.4 to 5.4 in of rain on 9 to 14 days; the day lasts 13 h 04 min to 13 h 14 min (on the 15th).

April falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait. Average last frost: Louisville (April 6), Lexington (April 10), Frankfort (April 12), Charleston, West Virginia (April 10), Hagerstown (April 4), Asheville (April 12), Roanoke (April 3) and Morgantown (April 20).

How	What	Where
sow direct	Broad bean, cabbage, chickpea	Morgantown
sow direct	Peas, radish, beet, parsley, cilantro, arugula, chamomile, dill, mustard greens	all
plant sets	Onion, shallot	Morgantown
sow direct	Lettuce, Swiss chard, kohlrabi	Lexington, Frankfort, Charleston, West Virginia and 3 more
start indoors, plant out in June	Tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, chili pepper, Florence fennel, moringa	all
start indoors, plant out in May	Zucchini, cucumber, melon, watermelon, pumpkin, sweet corn, basil, achocha, bok choy, kiwano, luffa, Napa cabbage, okra, peanut	all
start indoors, plant out in July	Celeriac, celery, chayote	all

Compared with March: new — zucchini, cucumber, melon, watermelon, pumpkin, sweet corn, cilantro, basil and 8 more; no longer sown — spinach, carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, daikon, kale, parsnip and turnip.

Not starting in April: green beans (May, sown direct) and spinach (September, started indoors) — dates for Asheville.

Ready to harvest in April in Asheville, if sown in the right month: peas (February), spinach (February), lettuce (February), radish (March), cabbage (December), Swiss chard (February), arugula (March) and chamomile (February).

How we work it out

For each city we use its average weather in April and the months after (highs, lows and rain for 2016–2025, ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo) and its average frost dates. A crop starts in April if the month's mean temperature reaches the minimum soil temperature for germination on its card (we use the mean air temperature as a stand-in for the soil's) and if, over its first months (up to three), the average highs stay within its group's range, with no frost for crops that cannot take it. Crops started indoors count from the month they are planted out.

Temperature groups from Colorado State University Extension: cool-season crops prefer 60–80 °F and lose quality in heat; hardy ones grow in days as cool as 40 °F, semi-hardy ones from 40–50 °F (we use 50 °F); warm-season crops need days above 55 °F, and the most tender (tomato, pepper, eggplant, melon, watermelon, squash) above 60 °F, up to 95 °F. Crops the guide does not name go into the stricter group by their frost hardiness. Fava (broad) beans, which the guide does not name, count as hardy: hardy varieties are sown in fall and overwinter (RHS). Garlic and bulbs: a month before the first frost, and later only while the ground is not frozen (as on each city's page).

This is a general rule from averages: your garden can be a week or two earlier or later, and a greenhouse or a cold frame brings the season forward. Greenly works out the dates for your location.