What to Plant in April in Australia

Australian note: this page follows southern-hemisphere seasons, so April is in autumn. The lists below are grouped by five climate zones: temperate, subtropical, tropical, arid and cool. The Australian Vegetable Garden Planner uses the same five zones. For every crop across the year, see the Australian vegetable planting calendar.

Air temperatures fall before soil temperatures do, so autumn soil stays warm enough for quick germination and root growth. This is also a good time to plant trees, shrubs and herbs before winter.

What to plant in April, by climate

Australia spans five growing climates, so one list cannot fit all of them. Find yours below, then read the notes for that climate. April falls in Australian autumn.

Crop lists show what both Gardenate and Deep Green Permaculture list for that climate. The two share a common lineage, so we treat them as one view and use ABC Organic Gardener's monthly column as the independent check. "Start under cover" marks heat-lovers those lists include that ABC advises keeping out of cold soil.

Where three sources agree in April

These 11 crops are given for April by all three of the Perth (WA Waste Authority), Adelaide (Green Adelaide) and Melbourne (City of Darebin) guides. They are temperate-zone city sources, not a statewide rule, so treat them as a cross-check and not a promise for Sydney, Canberra, Hobart or anywhere in the tropics or arid inland.

Temperate and cool gardens in April

• Garlic can go in across temperate areas, along with snow peas and broad beans.
• In warmer temperate and inland areas, plant broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower, and sow carrots and parsnips. Keep the seed bed evenly moist: these seeds take a fortnight or more.
• In the far south and cold highlands, stick to fast crops: rocket, mizuna, mustard, radish, kale, bok choy, spinach and lettuce.
• Plant broad beans in a block, or support them with stakes and twine, so wind does not flatten them.

Subtropical gardens in April

• April is the best month to plant tomatoes in the frost-free subtropics: they fruit through winter and avoid the summer fruit fly and fungal disease.
• Keep tomato foliage dry to keep plants healthy.

Tropical gardens in April

• The wet is waning and the dry-season planting window is opening.
• Plant tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin, watermelon, bush and climbing beans, capsicum, eggplant, basil, chilli and sweet corn.

Arid and inland gardens in April

• Plant slower brassicas such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower, and use the warm soil for carrots and parsnips.

Garden jobs for April

• Plant trees, shrubs and herbs while the soil is warm.
• Harvest the last apples and pears before frost.
• Keep autumn seed beds evenly moist.

Plan April on paper

Draw your beds in the free Vegetable Garden Layout Planner Tool, then keep the season together in the Australian Vegetable Garden Planner, which has a sowing chart for every climate. See every crop across the year in the Australian planting calendar, or read the growing guides.

Month by month

• January
• February
• March
• April
• May
• June
• July
• August
• September
• October
• November
• December

Questions about April

Common questions

Sources

• ABC Organic Gardener: What to plant in April
• Deep Green Permaculture: Australian gardening calendars
• Gardenate: Australia planting by zone, April
• ABC Gardening Australia: Top tomato tips

How we checked this

The table above uses three Tier 1 (government) sources for the temperate zone. We read the Perth and Adelaide guides on 4 November 2026 and checked the Melbourne guide on 3 November 2026.

• Green Adelaide, South Australian Government (Tier 1): what to plant when, the month lists and the plant-any-time list for Adelaide.
• Waste Authority of Western Australia (Tier 1): Edible School Garden Guide, the planting and harvest guide for Perth.
• City of Darebin, Victoria (Tier 1): Sow what when guide for Melbourne.

Sydney, Canberra, Hobart, Darwin, Cairns and Alice Springs lists have not been checked against a Tier 1 month table. The crop lists in the climate cards above come from the sources named in the Sources list and have not been changed by this check.

Added 4 November 2026: a Common questions section for April. They use only the two state-government guides above (Green Adelaide and the Waste Authority of Western Australia), and only where both lists were read. We show where the two guides differ and who says what. We did not add an answer for Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Hobart, Canberra or Darwin because no state-government month table was reached for those places.

Last reviewed: 31 October 2026