What can be sown outdoors in April?

April welcomes us with open arms and warmer weather, inviting us to fill our gardens with life. Now’s the perfect time to sow a variety of different plants outdoors.
Let’s start with the vegetables: radishes, spinach and carrots are easy to grow and can cope with colder conditions, too, making them perfect candidates for early sowings. Likewise, peas, broad beans, chard, beetroot and various kinds of lettuce will be happy in mild-but-not-yet-warm spring temperatures.

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As well as vegetables, herbs also find their way into our April garden. Dill, parsley and coriander can be sown now and will be ready to harvest before you know it.
But what would any garden be without the glorious colours of flowers? Marigold, cosmos and sunflowers can be direct sown in beds and borders now and they’ll soon be a riot of colour, attracting bees and other pollinators. Herbaceous perennials like lupins and larkspur are also ready to sow now, promising growth and colour in the months ahead.

April’s known for its changeable weather, though – ‘rain and sunshine, both together,’ in the old saying – so it’s best to stay watchful and keep your garden fleeces close to hand so you can quickly protect your seedlings if there’s any danger of ground frost.