What to plant in April in Thailand

7 vegetables, fruits and herbs to sow or plant in April in Thailand, for the climate around Nakhon Ratchasima, Northeast Thailand (Khorat Plateau).

Climate: Tropical savanna climate with no frost, a hot wet season from May to October with about 1,400 mm of rain, and a hot dry season from November to April that is cooler from December to February, so growers plant vegetables in the dry season and tree crops at the start of the rains.

Vegetables

  • water spinach Ipomoea aquatica

    Loves warm, humid, wet-season conditions and regrows quickly after each cut.

    Harvest: 30–45 daysEasyIn pots

  • sponge gourd Luffa aegyptiaca

    Vigorous vine that enjoys the heat and wet season and needs no special care.

    Harvest: 80–100 daysEasy

Fruits

  • papaya Carica papaya

    Frost-free lowland heat and rain give fast, heavy fruiting from a single tree.

    Harvest: 9–12 monthsEasyIn potsCare guide →

  • banana Musa acuminata

    Needs constant warmth and rain, both of which this location provides.

    Harvest: 9–14 monthsEasyCare guide →

Herbs

  • holy basil Ocimum tenuiflorum

    A native of this climate that grows fast in heat and rain.

    Harvest: 40–60 daysEasyIn pots

  • lemongrass Cymbopogon citratus

    Clumps vigorously in the hot, wet season and needs little attention.

    Harvest: 4–5 monthsEasyIn potsCare guide →

  • galangal Alpinia galanga

    Rhizomes develop well in the warm, humid conditions of the rainy season.

    Harvest: 8–10 monthsModerateIn pots