Vegetables to Plant Now
April … it’s the time of year when gardening activities are in full swing! While fall may be the best season to plant trees, shrubs, and perennials in Texas, April is the time to start planting your summer vegetables.
Texas is a big state, so that means planting dates for vegetable crops will vary by several weeks, depending on your location. Be sure to double check with your local garden center to find out when to begin. Wherever you live, wait until your last frost has passed to plant summer vegetables.
By Seed
Large seeded vegetables, such as beans, black-eyed peas, cucumber, summer squash, cantaloupe, pumpkin, watermelon, corn, and zucchini do best when direct seeded into the garden in warm temperatures. By mid-April, soil temperatures become warm enough to start direct seeding peppers, eggplant, and okra.
By Transplant
In many parts of the state, prime time for planting tomato transplants has already come and gone. If you’re in the northern part of the state, you can still plant 4” tomato transplants in the ground early in the month. Tomatoes are heat-sensitive, so the goal is go plant them early so they have enough time to fruit before the onset of summer heat.
April is also the prime time to plant transplants of peppers, eggplant, and okra. Heat-loving herbs like basil, sage, and lemongrass can also be planted outdoors this month.
