Growing guide: April

Spring has well and truly sprung. So is you haven't already, it's time to go get sowing and growing. Below are seeds to start undercover, outdoors/direct this month, info on trees and shrubs plus useful gardening tasks all geared towards April in the UK (zones 7-9). If you live in a zone below 6 that are cooler all year round, you may find you cannot sow outside until June. See put temperature/USDA guides for more info!

Sow under cover

*For seeds that require additional heat to germinate try to start tomatoes, peppers, aubergines and cucumbers on a sunny windowsill or in a heated propagator. Greenhouses and conservatories can get very warm under any April sun.

Alliums: Spring onions. Last month to sow garlic, onions, leeks and shallots!

Brassicas: Cabbage, cauliflower, kale, spring greens (collards).

Cucurbits: Courgette (zucchini), cucumber, gherkins, melons, pumpkin and summer squashes.

Edible flowers: Chamomile, cornflower, evening primrose, nasturtium, pansy, peony, sunflower.

Grasses: Start off ancient grains, sweetcorn

Herbs: Leafy green herbs including; basil, chives, coriander (cilantro), cumin, dill, fenugreek, lemon grass, lovage, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley, savoury and sorrel.

Legumes: Beans, chickpeas (if warm enough), lentils and peas.

Nightshades: Chit potatoes. Last chance to sow chili, pepper and tomatoes.

Salad crops: Chicory, cress, lettuces, mixed leaves including mizuna, mizuno, radicchio, rocket etc. spinach and watercress.

Other: Amaranth, artichoke and celery

Plant out or sow direct

Alliums: Spring onions. Last month to sow garlic, onions, leeks and shallots!

Brassicas: Plant out winter cabbages sown undercover.

Grasses: Last chance to sow your own cereal crops

Herbs: Leafy green herbs including; basil, chives, coriander (cilantro), cumin, dill, fenugreek, lemon grass, lovage, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley, savoury and sorrel.

Nightshades: Second early potatoes.

Root veg: Beetroot, celeriac, and sugar beets, carrot, parsnip, radishes and salsify

Salad crops: Chicory, cress, lettuces, mixed leaves including mizuna, mizuno, radicchio, rocket etc. spinach and watercress.

Crowns, roots and fruit bushes

Plant out, protect and cover from frosts: Asparagus (usually grown in poly tunnels), raspberry and other fruiting canes, rhubarb, strawberries.

Tasks for April

A last chance to prune any trees and shrubs that require maintenance before buds appear. This will be too late for apple trees.

Support and protect brassicas or fruiting plants with any horticultural netting or fruit cages to stop butterflies and birds.

Finish off any new beds or growing areas ready for planting out next month.

Start off or scatter seeds; cornflowers, marigolds, poppies, sunflowers etc. to attract pollinators and predators to your growing space. A rule of thumb for pollinating insects such as bees are open and wide flowers, whereas bees and hover flies can struggle with thin deep flowers. If you live in an area with hummingbirds or have a population of hummingbird hawk moths, they are adapted for specific plants.