What to plant in April in Germany
19 vegetables, fruits and herbs to sow or plant in April in Germany, for the climate around Cologne–Bonn area, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Climate: Cool temperate climate with cold winters (down to about -6 °C, frosts Nov–Mar), mild wet summers, the warmest months Jun–Aug and about 60–130 mm rain a month, with the driest weather in April and July.
Vegetables
Lettuce Lactuca sativa
Cool spring and autumn weather suits it, and it can be sown in succession from March to August.
Harvest: 45–60 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Spinach Spinacia oleracea
It tolerates frost and thrives in the cool spring and autumn, bolting quickly only in summer heat.
Harvest: 40–50 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Radish Raphanus sativus
It grows fast in the mild German season and can be sown repeatedly from spring to early autumn.
Harvest: 25–35 daysEasyIn pots
Carrot Daucus carota
Moderate summers and moist soil give sweet roots, and it stores well in the ground into autumn.
Harvest: 70–80 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Potato Solanum tuberosum
Planting after the last frost in spring suits the cool, moist climate and gives reliable yields.
Harvest: 90–120 daysEasyIn pots
Pea Pisum sativum
It copes with spring frosts and is harvested before the summer heat.
Harvest: 60–70 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Onion Allium cepa
Sets planted in spring mature in the long summer days and store well over winter.
Harvest: 100–120 daysModerateIn potsCare guide →
Beetroot Beta vulgaris
It tolerates cool weather and keeps well in the ground, giving reliable roots from spring to autumn.
Harvest: 55–70 daysEasyIn pots
Fruits
Strawberry Fragaria × ananassa
Frost-hardy plants fruit well in the mild summers and do well in beds or hanging baskets.
Harvest: 60–90 days for the first cropEasyIn potsCare guide →
Raspberry Rubus idaeus
Hardy canes survive the cold winters and produce abundant summer fruit in the cool climate.
Harvest: 1–2 yearsEasyCare guide →
Blackcurrant Ribes nigrum
It needs cold winters to set fruit and is very well suited to the local frost and rainfall.
Harvest: 2–3 yearsEasy
Gooseberry Ribes uva-crispa
Hardy bushes tolerate frost and the cool, moist summers ripen the berries well.
Harvest: 2–3 yearsEasy
Apple Malus domestica
Cold winters give the dormancy apples need, and the temperate summers ripen the fruit well.
Harvest: 3–4 yearsEasyCare guide →
Pear Pyrus communis
Hardy trees handle the local winter, and a sunny warm wall or site ensures good ripening.
Harvest: 3–5 yearsModerate
Plum Prunus domestica
Hardy trees cope with the frosts and produce good crops in the warm late summer.
Harvest: 3–4 yearsModerate
Herbs
Parsley Petroselinum crispum
It tolerates frost and keeps producing leaves through much of the growing season.
Harvest: 70–90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Chives Allium schoenoprasum
Perennial clumps survive the winter cold and resprout reliably each spring.
Harvest: 60–75 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Mint Mentha spicata
It is hardy and thrives in the moist, mild climate, though it needs a container to contain its spread.
Harvest: 60–90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Thyme Thymus vulgaris
It survives the cold winters and enjoys the sunny, drier summer weeks.
Harvest: 70–90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →