5 Hardy April Vegetables You Can Plant Now – They'll Survive Downpours, Drought, and Even a False Spring

Our climate is changeable; you can have multiple seasons in a day. When growing vegetables, April is a perfect time to sow tough, adaptable crops that can withstand the rigors of early spring and beyond. Here we look at five of those that can tolerate temperature swings, inconsistent moisture levels, and unpredictable weather better than most.

Picking which vegetables to plant in April can be tricky, as there is such a wide range. Early spring is a pivotal time for sowing many crops, but choosing easy, resilient vegetables is a wise choice for anyone new to growing their own. Such crops are known to be low maintenance, tolerant to cold, and to recover quickly from stress.

I have grown lots of vegetables in trickier climates. In vegetable gardens that were wet and cold in winter, and then hot and dry in summer, it certainly kept me on my toes as a gardener. If I were to recommend five vegetables to plant in April that are beginner-friendly and can handle the unpredictable elements, it would be these.

1. Beets

Beets are cool-season crops to sow in early spring, as they will germinate in cooler soils and can handle temperature fluctuations. Once the soil reaches 40°F, you can start planting beet seeds, though they germinate best at temperatures of 55-75°F.

With a soil thermometer, like this 4-in-1 soil meter at Amazon, you can tell exactly when the temperature in the ground reaches a suitable level to start growing beets. Plant beets directly into their growing position in early spring, spacing seeds an inch apart in rows two inches deep. Then thin the seedlings to 3-4 inches apart when they germinate.

Beet seedlings are cold-hardy and can withstand light frosts if the temperatures dip after a false spring, but they will benefit from the protection of frost cloth (you can buy frost cloth at Walmart to protect plants) against late deep frosts. They do like moisture, especially during the first six months of growing, and won’t be bothered by seasonal downpours in spring.

One of the advantages of beets is that even if the roots struggle, you still get a crop of edible leaves. Beet leaves are underappreciated, but are nutrient-rich and full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. You can steam, sauté, or braise them to add to salads, soups, or stir-fries.

See the range of beet seeds at Amazon

See the range of beet seeds at Walmart

See the range of beet seeds at Burpee

See the range of beet seeds at True Leaf Market

2. Potatoes

Hopefully, gardeners have been chitting potatoes for the past month in preparation for planting. If you want to grow potatoes but haven’t chitted them, don’t worry, as you can still plant the seed potatoes, but it might just take a few extra weeks until you can harvest them.

April is a key time for planting potatoes; earlies want to go into the ground at the start of the month, and maincrop potato varieties can be planted from the middle of April onwards.

Plant seed potatoes into 4-6 inch drills or individual holes, with the tubers at least two inches below the soil surface and at least 12 inches apart for earlies and 15 inches for maincrop.

Potatoes are resilient crops that can tolerate cooler, wet springs. As long as your soil is well-draining, potatoes will happily grow. The damage comes from them sitting in cold, waterlogged soil for too long, which can cause rot.

Even if late frosts set back the early shoots (which does happen to us all), it doesn’t signal the end of your crop. You can mound soil over them, and the plant will continue to grow. The crop can cope with temperature swings and heavy rain throughout the season; you can rely on potatoes for a good harvest.

See the range of seed potatoes at Amazon

See the range of seed potatoes at Burpee

See the range of seed potatoes at True Leaf Market

3. Kale

Kale is definitely one of the most resilient vegetables to plant in April. In my experience, the plants can handle warm, cold, and strong winds without too much fuss. It loves cool temperatures and can handle weather swings; indeed, kale is only sensitive to temperatures above 75°F.

Provided they are watered during long dry periods (though kale is quite drought-tolerant once established) and tied to a stake to prevent them from toppling in gusts, kale will stand up to the elements and continue to give you harvests of tasty, nutritious leaves.

Early spring is a good window to plant kale seeds indoors for harvests throughout the summer and into fall. A second sowing in midsummer can provide all your kale harvests throughout winter and into next spring.

I have found that lacinato kale (also known as dinosaur kale, Tuscan kale, or cavolo nero) and dwarf blue curled are attractive, productive, and resilient varieties to grow.

The best way to plant kale seeds in April is to sow them into modules or individual pots indoors. You can sow seeds outdoors in early spring, too, ensuring they are a half an inch deep and 12 inches apart.

Get Dwarf Blue Curled Yates Kale Seeds at Burpee

Get Lacinato Kale Seeds and Plants at Burpee

4. Peas

Peas are resilient, cool-season vegetables you can plant indoors or outdoors in April. The best way to grow peas is to continue successively planting from early spring until early summer for a long harvest.

Provided the soil temperature reaches 45°F, you can start growing peas directly into their growing position in the vegetable garden. Alternatively, starting them in deep pots in a greenhouse or on a warm windowsill can remove the risk of mice nibbling on the peas before they germinate.

Young pea plants are tougher than you might expect. They can stand up to unpredictable spring weather and even tolerate light frosts, bouncing back quickly once the temperatures rise again.

They aren’t fussed about spring downpours, provided they are in well-draining soil. Peas sitting in saturated, cold soil are at risk of rotting, though. Adding organic matter, like homemade compost or leaf mold, before planting can improve the drainage. You can purchase bags, like this organic compost at Lowe's to improve drainage in vegetable beds. Alternatively, if you have a very heavy soil type, you can grow peas in a container.

Snap peas take 50-70 days from planting to harvesting, and it is closer to 70-90 days for shelling peas. Early sowings ensure the plants crop well before temperatures peak in summer. In warmer US hardiness zones, peas get stressed when temperatures rise past 80°F-85°F.

See the range of pea seeds at Amazon

See the range of pea seeds at Walmart

See the range of pea seeds at Burpee

See the range of pea seeds at Botanical Interests

5. Leeks

Leeks have a long growing season, but these alliums can withstand all manner of weather thrown at them between sowing and harvesting. Different varieties of leeks handle warm summer temperatures with ease, and many are very hardy indeed and can overwinter outdoors in the veg garden successfully.

To start growing leeks, sow seeds into pots of well-draining potting mix indoors or directly into the ground outdoors. To do the former, plant the seeds a half-inch deep into the soil and place the container where it can get temperatures of 50-60°F. Leeks started indoors want transplanting outside when they are around six inches long.

For sowing outdoors, check the soil is at least 50°F before sowing - you may need to check the soil temperature with a thermometer to ensure it is warm enough for direct sowing. Make a trench an inch deep and thinly sow the leek seeds along it. Keep the ground moist to encourage strong germination.

These low-maintenance crops take 4-6 months to go from sowing to cropping. Start harvesting leeks when the stalk is 1-2 inches wide, and the vegetable reaches 18-36 inches tall. Mid and late-season leeks, which are the hardiest of them all, can withstand cold temperatures down to 15°F during winter and be left outdoors to lift throughout the colder months.

I have always enjoyed success growing Giant Musselburgh leeks, which have always withstood warm summers and cold winters. It is a winter-hardy leek to crop from late October onwards. You can get Giant Musselburgh leek seeds at True Leaf Market.

An early-season leek to try is Large American Flag leeks. This variety has a blue-green shade of foliage and can stand out in the garden throughout winter to harvest as required. You can get Large American Flag leek seeds at True Leaf Market, too.

What to Shop for Starting Vegetable Seeds

There are a lot more vegetables to plant in April than we cover here. For some more inspiration, this guide to vegetables to plant in April features many more crops to discover. It includes planting tips for broccoli, celeriac, cucumber, zucchini, and pumpkin.

Such crops may be a bit more high-maintenance than the resilient crops featured here, but April is a perfect time to sow these seeds for great homegrown harvests.

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