Zone 7 · April · 2 weeks after last frost
What to plant in April in Zone 7
Typical last frost in zone 7 is around Apr 1, and first frost around Oct 25. 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.
- Cherry Tomato — window Apr 8 – Apr 18 (5 gal, 12" deep)
- Loose-leaf Lettuce — window Apr 1 – Apr 11 (2 gal, 6" deep)
- Basil — window Apr 15 – Apr 25 (2 gal, 8" deep)
- Bush Cucumber — window Apr 8 – Apr 18 (5 gal, 12" deep)
- Zucchini — window Apr 8 – Apr 18 (7 gal, 14" deep)
- Hot Pepper — window Apr 15 – Apr 25 (3 gal, 12" deep)
Direct sow
Sow straight into the final pot. These crops resent root disturbance, and transplanting them usually costs more time than it saves.
- Bush Bean — window Apr 8 – Apr 29 (3 gal, 9" deep)
- Loose-leaf Lettuce — window Mar 11 – Apr 1 (2 gal, 6" deep)
- Radish — window Mar 11 – Apr 1 (1 gal, 6" deep)
- Kale — window Mar 18 – Apr 8 (3 gal, 10" deep)
- Bush Cucumber — window Apr 8 – Apr 29 (5 gal, 12" deep)
- Zucchini — window Apr 8 – Apr 29 (7 gal, 14" deep)
- Carrot — window Mar 18 – Apr 8 (3 gal, 12" deep)
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
Not this month
Everything in the dataset is either in an active window or already finished for the year. Nothing is badly timed this month.
Zone 7 at a glance
Zone 7 has around 180 frost-free days and a real summer. The limiting factor is July heat, not season length, so shading and watering matter more than sowing dates.
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March in zone 7 · —