The spring equinox has passed, and the clocks are changing this weekend - leaping forward a whole hour! This means that the days are longer, and sunset will be happening at half past seven here in Devon! What a joy! You've probably done your first round of sowing, and are now gleefully willing your seedlings to germinate and get growing with the longer daylight hours.

With April just around the corner, there are plenty of things you can sow this month. We've listed our 'top crops to sow' for the month below, including vegetables, salads and herbs, and some of our favourite half hardy flowers.

We also thought we'd give a little insight into the reasons behind direct sowing or module sowing for certain crops - in case you want to know!

Stock up on seeds for all your April sowings here:

Top crops to sow in April

Lettuce

April is a great time to sow lettuce. Successional sowings are an excellent way to ensure a longer harvest throughout the coming months

Some of our bestselling lettuce varieties are:

​Wild Garden Mix - a diverse mix of great varieties, our favourite!

​Little Gem 'Maureen' - a classic little gem variety, packed full of crunchy sweetness.

​Flashy Butter Oak - a very pretty and vigorous oakleaf lettuce with dark red splashes on pale green leaves

Cucumbers

April is the time to sow your cucumbers for planting inside or out. Wait to plant them until after the risk of frost (usually mid May) as they are very sensitive to the cold.

​Shintokiwa - Our new favourite, and the variety we are growing for seed this year. Prized for an outstanding sweet flavour, delicious juiciness and crisp, crunchy texture.

​Marketmore - a versatile, productive variety with luscious, dark green fruits throughout the summer

​Crystal Lemon - a prolific, unusual and old variety of outdoor cucumber; small, round and yellow with a crisp, sweet flavour.

Carrots

If you'd like a summer harvest of carrots this year, April is a great time to sow them. They are an extremely rewarding crop to grow.

Here are our bestsellers:

​Lila Lu - a real show-stopper variety, with dark purple outside and bright orange inside

​Nantes - a classic French workhorse variety, very productive and equally delicious

Courgettes

No gardener or grower can go without at least one courgette plant! Now's a great time to sow your first courgettes for a summer harvest. For harvests into the autumn, a second sowing in about 6 weeks time is a good idea.

Our bestselling varieties are:

​Cocozelle - a highly productive and tasty striped Italian variety

​Black Beauty - a vigorous and prolific courgette producing dark green, glossy fruits over a long period

Basil

The herb to call in summer! There are many different basil varieties available, each with their own culinary niches and cultural riches.

Some of our favourites are:

​Sweet Genovese - the classic basil variety, very productive, aromatic and perfect for all culinary uses, especially pesto.

​Lemon Basil - An unusual basil variety with a wonderful lemony fragrance. It also goes exceptionally well in sweet dishes, giving a fresh and fragrant twist.

​Greek Basil - A delicious Mediterranean basil with a bushy growing habit and highly aromatic leaves.

Sunflowers

These flowers bring an immense amount of joy and beauty to any growing space. A must have! Leaving the heads to stand throughout the winter is a good way to support wildlife and increase garden interest.

Here are our top-sellers:

​Floris - a beautiful multi-headed sunflower with blooms of crimson dappled with vanilla

​Sonja - a wonderful multi-headed variety, particularly good for cut flower use

​Hopi Black - a heirloom variety stewarded by the Hopi people who use it’s dye in basketry

Zinnias

A reliable half-hardy flower, much loved in the cut garden. Producing an abundance of blooms on sturdy stems, with a great diversity of colours, including brighter jewels and softer tones.

​Tidepool - Our exciting new Zinnia for 2026! These offer an incredible mix of large, vibrant blooms with bold jewel tones and interestingly anemone-like petals.

​Queen Blush Lime - The name says it all! This one produces really beautiful and unusual blooms, with soft lime green and pinky tones.

​Zinderella Peach - A stunning scabious-flowered variety with creamy peach, salmon and apricot petals. One of our favourites, perfect in summer bouquets.

Tidepool

Want to see what else we have in stock? Visit our seed shop below:

To sow direct, or not?

We've been having more sunny days, and with it our soil has been warming up and drying out, and we've been preparing our outdoor beds ready for planting. There are certain crops that must be direct sown, as they do not like root disturbance, but there are others that are well suited to module sowing and transplanting. We thought we'd explain a little about the difference, so you can feel confident making sowing decisions in your garden or growing space.

Direct sowing:

• Pros:
  • No root disturbance - certain crops do not like being transplanted, so these are best direct sown. This includes certain poppies and carrots - check the seed packet.
  • Germinate in their final growing conditions, this means they can adapt quicker and can result in healthier crops
  • Requires less space - no need for seed trays, which is ideal if you have limited propagation space
• Cons:
  • Later start date - growing can't begin until the soil warms up and frost passes, which can slow down productivity
  • Direct sown seeds and seedlings are at greater risk to pests
• Tips:
  • Ensure a fine and weed free tilth
  • Add some quick-germinating seeds (e.g. radish) in with slower ones such as carrots so you can tell where the rows are and weed more easily and sooner
  • Sow a few spares into modules to fill in any gaps lost to pests or frost

Crops you can direct sow now:

• Beetroot, carrots, chard, cauliflower, kohlrabi, lettuce, leeks, radish, turnip, spring onions, peas and perpetual spinach.

Module sowing:

• Pros:
  • Allows seedlings an earlier start, resulting in stronger and bigger crops
  • Provides more protection from pests, and greater control over growing conditions
• Cons:
  • Takes up more room - you need space for propagation trays, which can be a limiting factor
  • Not all crops are suited to transplanting, so some varieties must be direct sown
• Tips:
  • Harden off seedlings that will be transplanted outside by placing the trays outdoors for a few days before planting, bringing them in at night, to allow them to adjust to new conditions.

If you do have a propagation space for indoor sowing, don't forget to open and close the doors for ventilation and to protect seedlings from frost at night.

There's a lot of variation in growing advice out there, and really the best thing to support your growing is to find what works best for you and your plot!

Happy growing, and bring on the sunshine!

Izzy and the team at Vital Seeds