Vegetables you can plant in early April.

Peas

Lettuce

Spinach

Asparagus

Broccoli

Brussel Sprouts

Cabbage

Carrots

Cauliflower

Chard

Onion

Potatoes

Radishes

Turnips

 

You can also plant peppers tomatoes, eggplant, and more if you protect them properly.  Try one of these items.

1.  Harvest Guard Garden Cover

2.  Season Start Early Season Plant Protector

 

Planting Charts

Vegetable first & last plant date

Vegetable average planting dates for seeds and transplants

Home Gardening Planting Chart with plant spacing & amounts to feed a family of 5.

 

There are also flowering annuals you can plant in early April.

Frost Tolerant  Annuals that can withstand light frosts and can normally be planted before average frost-free date.  Some damage to flowers and foliage can occur if temperatures fall much below freezing or if exposed to hard frosts.

 

Suggestions

Alyssum
Calendula
Cosmos
Diascia  (pictured right)
Lobelia
Nasturtium
Snapdragon
Phlox
Torenia

What to do if it gets really cold?

If you have plants in hanging baskets or other containers, bring them inside.

The following methods can be used to limit frost injury.  However, protection for temperatures below 25 degrees Fahrenheit may not be possible.

 

Covers

You may have noticed that plants placed under the leaf canopy of a large tree or a building overhang escape serious freeze damage, while those out in the open are killed.  These covers contain the earth’s heat.  On a cold night with air temperatures in the twenties, the earth’s surface at 52 degrees is like a giant heater.  Wet soil transfers heat better than dry soil.  Old sheets, blankets and light rugs placed over the plants may limit cold injury to annual flowers.  Leaving air spaces between plants and covers increases insulation.  Heavy materials that might damage the plants should be avoided.  Also, avoid plastic.  Plastic will transfer the cold to the plant and provides little insulating value.