What to plant in April in Japan
14 vegetables, fruits and herbs to sow or plant in April in Japan, for the climate around Mito area, Ibaraki, Japan.
Climate: Cold winters with frosts from November to April (coldest nights near -6 °C), warm humid summers around 30–35 °C, and a heavy rainy season from June to September, with September the wettest month.
Vegetables
Tomato Solanum lycopersicum
Warm summers give plenty of heat, and the transplants go out after the last frost in April or May.
Harvest: 70–90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Eggplant Solanum melongena
Long hot summers give eggplants the warmth they need to fruit well.
Harvest: 80–100 daysModerateIn potsCare guide →
Sweet pepper Capsicum annuum
Warm summer nights and sunshine ripen peppers reliably in this climate.
Harvest: 70–90 daysModerateIn potsCare guide →
Onion Allium cepa
Cold winters trigger good bulbing, and the bulbs store well after the summer rains.
Harvest: 120–180 daysEasyCare guide →
Spinach Spinacia oleracea
Spring and autumn are cool and mild, the seasons spinach prefers, and it tolerates light frost.
Harvest: 40–50 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Lettuce Lactuca sativa
Cool spring and autumn weather keeps lettuce sweet and prevents bolting.
Harvest: 45–60 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Potato Solanum tuberosum
Spring planting after the frosts gives a summer harvest, and autumn planting works well too.
Harvest: 80–110 daysEasyIn pots
Carrot Daucus carota
Cool spring and autumn soils produce sweet, well-coloured roots.
Harvest: 70–90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Fruits
Strawberry Fragaria × ananassa
Cold winters satisfy its chilling needs, and it fruits well in the spring warmth.
Harvest: 1 year (first full crop the spring after planting)EasyIn potsCare guide →
Common fig Ficus carica
Hot summers ripen the figs well, and wrapping the young trees in winter protects them from the frosts.
Harvest: 2–3 yearsModerateIn potsCare guide →
Herbs
Spearmint Mentha spicata
Its hardy roots survive the winter, and the moist summers keep it vigorous.
Harvest: 60–90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Parsley Petroselinum crispum
It tolerates the cold winters and grows steadily in the mild spring and autumn.
Harvest: 70–90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Chives Allium schoenoprasum
It is fully hardy in the cold winters and regrows reliably each spring.
Harvest: 60–75 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Coriander Coriandrum sativum
Cool spring and autumn weather suits it, and sowing outside the summer heat prevents early bolting.
Harvest: 40–60 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →