What to Plant in April in Central Florida

April is a pleasant month in Central Florida (Zone 9b), with the exception of insects. I find the majority of our insects start to come out of hiding in April and stop by the garden for lunch. If you’re looking to start your first garden, or just looking for a planting guide for your current garden, then you’ve come to a good place. Keep on reading to learn what to plant in April in Central Florida – Zone 9b.

Florida Vegetables You Can Grow In April

Below are the vegetables and varieties that do well in Central Florida and when to plant them. In April you can plant both warm and cool-season plants here in Florida.

Warm Season: Beans, Cucumbers, Okra, Southern Peas, Sweet Potatoes, and Summer Squash.

If you’re purchasing plants from a local nursery, you can also transplant tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant this month. Plants from seeds will have a shortened season due to our hot summers.

Cool Season: Chinese Cabbage, Winter Squash, Swiss Chard

Gardening Recommendations and Tips For April

April is the month when the weather starts to get warmer, and we start to see more insects in the garden. If you’re concerned about insects this month and are looking for organic methods to keep them away, you may want to check out these organic pesticides. I find neem oil to be my go-to. This is a concentrated version, which you can add to a spray bottle with water. It’s also available in a spray bottle. It helps with aphids, whiteflies, spider mites, and leaf rollers. It also helps control black spots and powdery mildew.

A favorite vegetable variety of mine to grow this month is Roma II Beans. These flat Italian green beans have a great flavor and they’re stringless. They make a great vegetable side of almost any meal.

When I plant I generally use Botanical Interests Seeds. They have such a wide selection of vegetables, flowers, and herbs. And they’re continually getting new seeds. The majority of the seeds I buy come from here. I find the company to be extremely reliable, and provide a wide variety of organic and heirloom seeds.

While April is a great time to plant in Florida, it’s also a good time to get a Shade Cloth if you don’t have one already. Check out the post Beat the Heat: Using Shade Cloths in the Garden. I use these April-October. There are different varieties that you can choose from

If you’re just starting to plan your spring garden this month then I recommend checking out Using a Garden Planner. I use a garden planner every season and it has helped me a ton with keeping track of what works and what doesn’t and planning for the future. If you’re still designing your garden layout this month I also recommend checking out Companion Planting and Crop Rotation. These help to give your garden an organic advantage to preventing your soil from being depleted and decreasing the number of pests in your garden.

What to Plant in April in Central Florida Vegetable Guide

There are multiple varieties when it comes to vegetables that you can plant that are more tolerant of Florida’s heat and humidity. Picking the right varieties is important for your success. Some of the varieties that work well in Florida are included in the chart below.

Below you’ll find the April Vegetable Planting Guide for Central Florida – Zone 9b

Planting dates here are based on the University of Florida IFAS Extension, and you can find more information on that here: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vh021

And if you’re not sure what zone you’re in, you can check out the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. If you go to their website you can type in your zip code for confirmation of your location. The picture below is from their site:

Because I have raised garden beds, I do my planting based on square feet using the square foot gardening method. Square foot planting is included in the chart. For example – if you’re growing spinach you can plant 9 per square foot. For beans, you can plant 4 per square foot.

Days to harvest depends on the quality of your soil, so keep that in mind when waiting for your vegetables to ripen – they can take longer than the time stated above. Days to harvest is also based on when your seed germinates, and not when you plant your seed.

I hope the April Vegetable Planting Guide for Central Florida helps you with your garden!

Interested in getting a head start for next month? Check out the May Planting Guide.