What to plant in April in Spain
14 vegetables, fruits and herbs to sow or plant in April in Spain, for the climate around Madrid, Spain.
Climate: Continental Mediterranean climate at about 650 m: cold winters with frosts down to -3 °C, hot dry summers that reach 41 °C, and most rain falling in autumn and spring with a very dry July to September.
Vegetables
Lettuce Lactuca sativa
Spring and autumn are mild enough for crisp leaves, and shade in summer helps it.
Harvest: 45–60 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Potato Solanum tuberosum
Spring planting lets tubers form in cool soil and finish before the heat.
Harvest: 90–120 daysEasyIn pots
Carrot Daucus carota
Loose, well-drained soil and cool spells produce sweet, straight roots.
Harvest: 70–80 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Common bean Phaseolus vulgaris
Once the soil warms in late spring it pods well through the summer.
Harvest: 60–70 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Chard Beta vulgaris
It handles both the cold and the heat, so it can be harvested for much of the year.
Harvest: 50–60 daysEasyIn pots
Fruits
Strawberry Fragaria × ananassa
Bare-root or potted plants fruit well in spring and handle the winter cold.
Harvest: 60–90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Fig Ficus carica
It thrives on the hot, dry summers and tolerates the winter cold.
Harvest: 2–3 yearsEasyIn potsCare guide →
Pomegranate Punica granatum
Hot, dry summers ripen its fruit and it survives the frosts.
Harvest: 3–4 yearsEasyIn pots
Watermelon Citrullus lanatus
The long, hot, dry summer gives sweet melons when planted after the frosts.
Harvest: 80–100 daysModerate
Olive Olea europaea
It is adapted to hot dry summers and cold winters, and it tolerates the frosts.
Harvest: 3–5 yearsModerateIn potsCare guide →
Herbs
Parsley Petroselinum crispum
It tolerates cold and grows steadily in the mild seasons.
Harvest: 70–90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Rosemary Salvia rosmarinus
It loves the dry, sunny Mediterranean climate and tolerates light frost.
Harvest: about 1 yearEasyIn potsCare guide →
Thyme Thymus vulgaris
Dry, sunny, free-draining conditions suit its Mediterranean origins.
Harvest: 60–90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Spearmint Mentha spicata
It is hardy through the winter and recovers quickly in spring and autumn.
Harvest: 60–70 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →