Zone 9 · April · 6 weeks after last frost
What to plant in April in Zone 9
Typical last frost in zone 9 is around Mar 1, and first frost around Nov 15. 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
- Loose-leaf Lettuce — harvest from Apr 15 (2 gal, 6" deep)
- Kale — harvest from Apr 11 (3 gal, 10" deep)
- Zucchini — harvest from Apr 27 (7 gal, 14" deep)
- Spinach — harvest from Mar 25 (2 gal, 6" deep)
- Carrot — harvest from Apr 26 (3 gal, 12" deep)
Not this month
- Bush Bean — next window opens in September. Starting it now means 5 months of impatient waiting, or a plant that stalls.
- Bush Cucumber — next window opens in September. Starting it now means 5 months of impatient waiting, or a plant that stalls.
- Radish — next window opens in October. Starting it now means 6 months of impatient waiting, or a plant that stalls.
Zone 9 at a glance
Zone 9 has around 230 frost-free days. Cool-season crops behave like winter crops here, and summer is the hard season rather than winter.
Next and previous
March in zone 9 · —