What You Can Plant Now: April, Zone 6B

This week has been a wild ride weather-wise in the Pacific Northwest. It would seem that the snow we expected to see in the mountains back in February, finally decided to show up. We even had some snow at normal elevations yesterday evening and this morning. That didn’t stop me from getting out to the garden though. Here is what you can plant now in April for Zone 6B (Spokane/Eastern Washington).

As it stands, we are just under a month out from our last frost date. According to Farmer’s Almanac, that is May 1st. However, locals usually consider Mother’s day to be the typical last frost date. So, what can you start planting now? Well, of course, you’re not going to be planting anything that is frost tender. You’re going to want to plant crops that handle the cold well or even thrive in it. 2 of the items I planted this week were Cabbage and Carrots. I’ve also got onions, lettuce, spinach, and chamomile in the ground.

Cool Weather Crops to Plant Now

Other things you can plant now include Peas, broccoli and cauliflower (usually from starts), potatoes, radishes, and beets. Strawberries can also be planted now if you don’t already have them in the ground. All of these crops thrive in cool weather. And, in fact, some of them hate the heat. Peas will stop producing when the weather gets too warm and cabbage won’t produce a head if it’s too hot. Thus, it’s best to get them in before the rest of your crops so you can actually get a good harvest.

Another item you can get going in the garden, although it’s not something I usually start this early, is Cilantro. Usually, I plant cilantro closer to the time when I would actually be having ripe tomatoes and peppers for the purpose of making salsa. However, Cilantro thrives in cold weather. In fact, Cilantro tends to bolt in warm temperatures. I haven’t actually planted any yet, but I did find some in the garden that re-seeded from last year. Yay for volunteers!

I’d love to hear what you are planting in your garden right now! Let me know in the comments what you’ve got growing or starting to grow in your garden beds.