Zone 10 · April · 8 weeks after last frost
What to plant in April in Zone 10
Typical last frost in zone 10 is around Feb 15, and first frost around Dec 1. Frost dates begin arriving. It is the highest-risk month for container growers, because one warm week convinces people to set out tender crops two weeks early.
Start indoors this month
Seed trays indoors, under a light or in the brightest window you have. These are slow crops that need a head start on the season.
Nothing in our dataset needs an indoor start this month in this zone.
Set out into the final container
Transplants go into the pot they will finish in. Hardening them off for four to five days first prevents most transplant shock.
No transplanting window is open this month here.
Direct sow
Sow straight into the final pot. These crops resent root disturbance, and transplanting them usually costs more time than it saves.
No direct-sowing window this month in this zone.
Sow for autumn
A second sowing timed backwards from first frost. Fewer pests, less watering, and better flavour in most cool crops.
No autumn sowing window opens this month in this zone.
Harvesting this month
- Cherry Tomato — harvest from Apr 28 (5 gal, 12" deep)
- Bush Bean — harvest from Apr 18 (3 gal, 9" deep)
- Loose-leaf Lettuce — harvest from Apr 1 (2 gal, 6" deep)
- Kale — harvest from Mar 28 (3 gal, 10" deep)
- Bush Cucumber — harvest from Apr 18 (5 gal, 12" deep)
- Zucchini — harvest from Apr 13 (7 gal, 14" deep)
- Spinach — harvest from Mar 11 (2 gal, 6" deep)
- Carrot — harvest from Apr 12 (3 gal, 12" deep)
Not this month
- Radish — next window opens in October. Starting it now means 6 months of impatient waiting, or a plant that stalls.
Zone 10 at a glance
Zone 10 is close to frost-free, which inverts the calendar: 'cool season' means winter, and summer is genuinely hostile to lettuce and spinach.
Next and previous
March in zone 10 · —