What to sow and grow in April
After a grey and soggy start to 2025, April has finally brought some much-needed relief - with blue skies, sunshine, and longer, warmer days giving the garden a well-deserved boost. The extra daylight is lifting spirits and coaxing plants (and gardeners) back into action. There's a noticeable shift now - birdsong is louder, buds are bursting open, and the soil feels alive again under our hands.
At Fat Tomato, the polytunnel is buzzing with life, trays of seedlings are flying up, and the outdoor raised beds look very green with onions, leeks, garlic, kale, broccoli, and cauliflower. The orchard is full of blossoms with damsons, pears, cherries, plums, greengages, and apples starting to blossom.
Here’s what we’re sowing and growing in April:
Tomatoes
If you haven't already done so, April is still a great time to sow tomato seeds indoors. They sprout quickly with the much-needed light and heat boost in the air.
We are continuing our succession sowing to keep the harvest going until November.
If you want to grow tomatoes outdoors, early varieties like Latah and Yellow Clementine do particularly well outdoors in Irish gardens.
Our February and March sowings in the polytunnel are thriving, and we’re potting them and preparing the beds for planting later this month. Some will be planted in the polytunnel and outdoors in the raised beds, while others are destined for the Honesty Farm Shop to find a new home.
Runner Beans and French Beans
Start these indoors now in deep pots or modules.
They love warmth, so wait to plant out until all risk of frost has passed — usually from mid-May onwards.
You can plant them in toilet roll tubes to avoid disturbing the roots when planting out.
Beetroot
We already sowed some beetroot in modules in March to get a headstart.
Varieties like Touchstone Gold, Chioggia, Foniro, and Laura Anne are easy to grow.
Carrots
Sow early varieties like Early Nantes or Amsterdam Forcing outdoors now.
Carrots like fine, stone-free sandy soil — raised beds or deep planters work best for us.
Protect early sowings with fleece or mesh to keep the carrot fly at bay.
We usually plant some onions with the carrots to keep the carrot-fly away.
Spring Greens and Lettuces
April is all about quick-growing salad crops — sow lettuce, rocket, spinach, and mixed salad leaves.
We sow every 2 to 3 weeks to keep a steady supply coming.
Varieties like Little Gem, Lollo Rosso, Red Salad Bowl, Wild Rocket, and Butterhead are firm favorites here.
Courgettes, Pumpkins and Squash
Start sowing indoors now for transplanting out in late May or early June.
Use individual small pots with rich peat-free potting compost. We tend not to use seed compost as these plants need a lot of nutrients to start growing.
Check out our online shop for our selection of courgette, pumpkin, and squash seeds - perfect for the Irish climate.
Sweetcorn
Sow indoors in small pots - one seed per pot.
We grow corn for the table and some perfect corn for popping during the winter months.
Keep them warm and pot them on before planting in late May.
Cucumbers and Melons
Start indoors now for polytunnel or greenhouse growing.
Marketmore and Crystal Apple are solid cucumber choices. Available to buy on our online shop.
Melons will need plenty of warmth and shelter, but we’ve had success with varieties like Minnesota Midget sourced from Brown Envelope Seeds.
Herbs
Continue sowing basil, parsley, coriander, and chervil indoors.
We are potting up mint, oregano, and thyme for the Honesty Farm Shop.
Brassicas (Cabbage, Kale, Broccoli, Cauliflower)
April is ideal for sowing summer and autumn brassicas.
Start indoors or under cover, and transplant when sturdy.
Watch for slugs, snails, and pigeons once they’re planted out — they love the tender new leaves!
Flowers for Pollinators
Sow calendula, nasturtiums, cosmos, and cornflowers in modules or directly outside. If sowing outside, we usually cover them with a cloche to keep the birds away.
We plant them between tomatoes and cucumbers along borders and even in pots by the door. They are great for attracting bees and keeping pests like whiteflies away.
Potatoes – Second Earlies and Maincrop
It's still time to get seed potatoes in the ground. Just make sure you buy organic, blight-resistant seed potatoes. We source ours from Fruit Hill Farm in Cork.
We’re finishing second earlies like Charlotte and Orla and planting main crops like Sarpo Mira.
Keep earthing up as they grow, and protect from any late frosts.
Onions and Shallots
April is your last call to plant onions and shallots from seed.
We grow many varieties here, like Sturon, Buan, Rouge de Huy, Ailsa Craig, and Roscoff.
Sow the seeds in modules and plant them out in compost-enriched soil.
Weeding around them is key - they hate competition.
Strawberries
We grow strawberries off the ground in long window boxes.
Now is the time to feed them with organic seaweed fertiliser and mulch around them to keep fruit clean and moisture in.
Other Jobs for April
Weed and mulch: Regularly walk around the garden to pull any weeds popping up. And lay mulch to suppress new ones.
Feed seedlings: Use diluted organic fertiliser like comfrey or seaweed tea.
Support plants: As plants start to grow, monitor them and provide support with bamboo canes or string.
Vent polytunnels/greenhouses: On sunny days, things heat up fast — good airflow keeps mildew at bay.
Remember to check out our online shop for organically grown, chemical-free seeds, including over 40 heritage varieties collected right here at Fat Tomato.