Embracing Spring: April Is the Perfect Time to Plan Your Garden

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Winter’s grip has begun to loosen, and as the temperatures gradually rise and severe storms wane, gardeners everywhere are beginning to feel that familiar stirring of excitement. April timeshifts now mean longer days, and increasing temperatures will warm the soil, announcing with great pleasure: gardening season is here.

So whether you're a first-timer with enthusiasm and empty soil, or a seasoned gardener with decades of harvests behind you, April's more moderate temperatures create the ideal conditions to plan and prepare for the growing season ahead.

In the guide below, we outline some important tips when creating your own week-by-week gardening calendar, how to get your soil ready for planting season, understanding hardiness zones and some useful products to help get you started.

Weekly Planting Guide

For those in the South, it’s prime time to start your planting, as long as you aren’t swamped or waterlogged by storms. It’s still a little early for our Northeast and Great Lakes planters, but keep an eye on the temperatures to ‘spring’ into action.

• READ MORE: Southern Gardeners, It's Time To Get Your Veggie Gardens Planted

Getting Your Garden Started

What makes April's temperatures particularly special is their Goldilocks quality—not too cold, not too hot, but just right for a remarkable diversity of plants. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you get your garden started.

Soil temperatures

Soil temperatures are critical and will directly affect your plant growth. Plant too early, and the seeds will rot or germinate very slowly.

Soil temperatures typically reach the critical 50-60°F range for cool-season crops in early spring, and warm weather crops (like tomatoes and peppers), should have a soil temperature between 65-70°F.

So how do you take your soil’s temperature? With a thermometer, of course! You can use a soil testing thermometer or a meat thermometer. Simply insert the thermometer to the level where the seeds or roots will be, give it a couple minutes, and if the temperatures are too cold for your crop, wait a week to warm up.

Plant Hardiness Zones

Understanding planting zones will be important, as it will inform gardeners what you can plant as perennials and annuals where you live. Check your plant hardiness zones, which can be broken out by state or regions.

If a plant is hardy, you can expect it to come back year after year (a perennial).

If a plant is not hardy, you can still grow it, but as an annual – meaning when temperatures drop, it will die and not recover for the next growing season.

Late Frost Protection Tips

April is one of the most important transition seasons when it comes to gardening, so it’s critical to monitor weather forecasts for any signs of frost. If you start your vegetables and flowers too early, a sudden frost can kill your plants. Freezing temperatures occur at 32°F or below.

Here’s a helpful temperature guide for your plants:

• Light freeze: 29°F to 32°F (-1.6°C to 0°C). Tender plants are often killed.
• Moderate freeze: 25°F to 28°F (-3.88°C to -2.22°C). Causes damage to tender and moderate-freeze susceptible plants.
• Severe freeze: 24°F (-4.44°C) and colder. Causes heavy damage to many plants.

Certain vegetables, flowers or trees may be more susceptible to cold temperatures, such as:

• Light freeze: basil, beans, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, okra, corn, hibiscus, citrus, succulents
• Moderate freeze: beets, carrots, cauliflower, radish, potatoes, strawberries, marigold, petunia, sunflower, geranium
• Hardy: broccoli, cabbage, kale, leeks, peas, spinach

Week-by-Week Gardening Calendar

There are many helpful sources for creating a weekly gardening calendar. Here’s a few we might suggest:

• The Old Farmer's Almanac - the planting calendar can be customizable for personalized planting dates.
• Sow True Seed - offers a monthly garden calendar by hardiness zone
• Gardenate - features a planting tracker based on your climate zone

Below is a guide to help you create your own gardening calendar – of course, it ultimately depends on your hardiness zone, as well as the latest temperature and weather conditions.

Mid-April (Weeks 1-2)

1. Soil preparation tasks: Cleaning the soil, fertilizing with organic matter or mixture with high nitrogen content, monitoring soil pH, ensuring proper draining
2. Indoor seed starting: The general rule is that seeds are started indoors six weeks prior to your last frost date

Late April (Weeks 3-4)

1. Hardening off seedlings: This involves gradually acclimating any seedlings you’ve already started to outdoor conditions before transplanting, and will take one to two weeks
2. Plant your choice of “cool season” vegetables like lettuce, kale, radishes, onions, garlic. Make second planting within two to three weeks of first planting
3. Mulching newly planted areas and between rows: Wait to mulch until mid-to-late spring after soil has warmed up but before weeds grow

Early May (Weeks 1-2)

1. Begin transitioning to warm-season crops like beans, corn, cucumbers, melons, spinach, sunflowers, marigolds, basil, etc. Make second planting within two to three weeks of first planting
2. Install support structures for climbing plants (like pole beans)
3. Pest monitoring and organic control strategies
4. Water and mulch as needed

Mid-to-Late May (Weeks 3-4)

1. Complete warm-season crop plantings
2. Thinning seedlings and spacing adjustments: Some varieties of vegetables require thinning to eliminate competition for resources, like radishes, beets, carrots, tomatoes, and peppers.
3. Irrigation setup for areas that experience hot, dry summers.
4. Second round of fertilization for heavy feeders. Wait until certain plants are flowering, and be sure to wait a few weeks between applications depending on the type of crop.

Useful Spring Garden Equipment To Kick Off Planting Season

1. Four-in-one Soil Moisture Meter

Price: $32.98 at Amazon

Features:

• Displays: Moisture, pH, temperature and sunlight level
• Backlight LCD display
• To use: probe soil 4 inches (10 cm), wait 10 seconds to read. It should not be inserted into dry, hard soil; testing area should be damp
• Can be used on indoor potted plants and outdoor plants

2. AcuRite 5-inch Capacity Easy-to-Read Rain Gauge

Price: $5.97, was $8.52 at Amazon

Features:

• Measures up to 5 inches of rainwater
• Numbers magnified for easy-to-read measurement viewing
• Durable, water-resistant acrylic construction
• Hang hole for mounting or can be staked into ground

3. Rain Bird Landscape and Garden Drip Watering Kit

Features:

• Ideal for garden or landscaped areas
• To install, run tubing on top of ground from outside faucet, with emitter tubing and drippers near the base of your plants
• Devices are clog resistant, according to company
• Comes with: 10 one gallon per hour drippers, 10 two gallon per hour drippers, 2 adjustable micro bubblers, 4 adjustable micro sprays, 50 feet of distribution tubing, 50 feet of ¼-inch tubing, faucet connection, pressure regulator, fittings

4. Watering Wand - The Relaxed Gardener 15" Garden Hose Nozzle Sprayer

Price: $21.99 at Amazon

Features:

• Thumb operated on/off switch
• 8 spray patterns, including mist, flat, full, shower, soaker, cone, center and jet
• Slip-resistant handle

5. HANDLANDY Women Safety Work Gloves

Price: $13.44, was $16.80 at Amazon

Features:

• Crafted with shock-absorbing padding for heavy lifting or impact work
• Stretchy spandex backing for breathability
• Padded knuckle guard
• Touchscreen compatible
• Terry cloth sweat wipe from thumb to wrist

6. HANDLANDY Work Gloves

Price: $9.99, was $15.80 at Amazon

Features:

• Stretchy spandex backing for breathability
• Padded knuckle guard and palm
• Touchscreen compatible
• Lightweight utility gloves for yard work, gardening and home improvement

7. Schwer AIR-SKIN ANSI A6 Cut Resistant Arm Sleeves for Gardening

Price: $14.99 at Amazon

Features:

• Made from 80% PE wire and 20% metal wire
• High-risk cut protection
• Crafted with thinner, finer yarns and tiger weave for lightweight comfort
• Fiberglass and PFAS free according to company

8. Gorilla Grip Extra Thick Garden Kneeling Pad

Price: $19.99, was $28.99 at Amazon

Features:

• High density 1.5-inch thick foam pad
• Dirt and water resistant
• Textured design to prevent slipping
• Can be used for gardening, yoga, sporting events, camping and household chores

9. Germany Pruning Shears

Price: $21.99 at Amazon

Features:

• Ideal for garden pruning, pruning herbs and houseplants, trimming leaves and small branches
• Made from high-carbon steel, rubber grove guide to prevent blade jamming
• Ergonomic finger grips and lever ratchet
• Designed for those with weak hands and arthritis

10. The Original Hori Hori Namibagata Japanese Stainless Steel Weeding Knife

Price: $22.80, was $29 at Amazon

Features:

• Stainless steel
• Inch markings for depth measurement
• Serrated and straight edge blades
• Rust and scratch resistant according to company

11. Nine-Piece Heavy Duty Gardening Hand Tools

Price: $32.99, was $41.99 at Amazon

Features:

• Stainless steel set
• Includes shears, weedier, transplanter, cultivator, hand trowel, hand fork and tote bag

12. Stanley Quencher H2.0 Tumbler with Handle and Straw

Price: $44.95 at Amazon (40 ounce)

Features:

• Double wall vacuum insulation
• Drinks can be kept hot, cool or iced for hours
• Lid designed to be splash resistant with seal that holds straw in place
• Made from 90% recycled BPA free stainless steel
• Dishwasher safe
• Lifetime warranty

Price accurate and item in stock at time of publish.