What To Sow In April - Top 5 Seeds

Sow Gardening Angel Paul’s top 5 fruit & vegetable seeds in April, and get ready to plant out at the end of May when all danger of frost has passed!

Paul’s handpicked large seed varieties are perfect for sowing in jiffy pellets or plug trays and germinating in our Vitopod Heated Propagator, to give seedlings the best head start.

Growing Cucumbers

Cucumbers are rich in vitamins and mineral acids, and they contain very few calories. They’ve got a lovely refreshing taste and are perfect as part of a salad, on a sandwich or just as a general snack.

When you’re ready to plant out, our Quadgrow and Duogrow are perfect for cucumbers, and will keep this thirsty vegetable perfectly watered for up to 14 days, thanks to their clever SmartReservoir watering system!

Signs Of Germination: 3-5 days
Potting On: After first true leaves form
Plant Out: May
Harvest: July – September

Growing Melons

Melons are closely related to Cucumbers and require similar growing conditions. Melon plants need a temperature of at least 18°C, as well as plenty of water and food. They can grow quite vigorously, so regular pruning is needed to keep them under control.

You can expect two to four melons from each plant depending on variety. We absolutely love melons, and they’re one of our favourite crops to enjoy in summer.

Signs Of Germination: 3-5 days
Potting On: After first true leaves form
Plant Out: May
Harvest: July - September

Growing Sweetcorn

You can ensure an early crop by sowing sweet corn in your heated propagator or greenhouse in April. Choose a variety, such as Swift F1, that is suitable for growing in the UK, and you can expect to be harvesting around August to September.

Hot off the BBQ or steaming from the pan, the idea of sweetcorn drizzled with butter is enough to make our Gardening Angels’ mouths water!

Signs Of Germination: 10-14 days
Potting On: When plenty of roots are visible
Plant Out: May
Harvest: September

Growing Cucurbits

Whether we’re making a delicious vegetarian risotto or growing our own Halloween pumpkins, we love these cucurbits.

Courgettes, marrows pumpkins, squashes and gourds are all very closely related, so can be treated in very much the same way for the purposes of sowing and growing. Being tender plants they can’t tolerate frost and will not germinate or grow in the cold.

Signs Of Germination: 3-5 days
Potting On: After first true leaves form
Plant Out: May
Harvest: July – October (Courgettes & Marrows)
Harvest: September – October (Pumpkins, Squashes & Gourds)

Growing Beans

Runner, French, Climbing and Dwarf Beans are easy to grow in small gardens! Great vegetables to introduce kids to gardening, because they shoot up quickly, are trouble free and fun to pick.

We’ve sown Amethyst dwarf beans this season and will be picking plenty of these from our Quadgrow and Duogrow self-watering planters. This variety grow purple meaning they will be easy to see when it comes to harvesting! 

Signs Of Germination: 10-14 days
Potting On: After first true leaves form
Plant Out: May
Harvest: June – October

Got everything you need? Check out our Sowing Essentials.