Curious what you should plant in Tucson in April? It's a great time in the low desert! Let's talk about what you can grow in April in Tucson.

Last frost is likely already passed by April, but you could still get a late frost early this month. I've seen tomatoes killed by April frost, but I would still have my first succession of tomatoes outside this month.

Microclimate may push your last frost back later than the Tucson average, so keep your eyes on the nightly lows this month just in case.

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tucson average temperature graph april highlighted
Tucson average daily high rises from 79F to 87F over the month of April.
Overnight average lows rise from 51F to 58F during April.

Planting

Cover Crops & Forage

1st Half of April

BROADCAST IN FIELD:

Alfalfa, Amaranth, Buckwheat, Cowpea, Millet, Sesame, Sorghum, Sorghum-Sudan (hybrid), Sudangrass


DIRECT SOW / DRILL IN FIELD:

Buckwheat, Corn, Cowpea


2nd Half of April

BROADCAST IN FIELD:

Alfalfa, Amaranth, Buckwheat, Cowpea, Millet, Sesame, Sorghum, Sorghum-Sudan (hybrid), Sudangrass


DIRECT SOW / DRILL IN FIELD:

Buckwheat, Corn, Cowpea


millet and sudangrass cover crops in garden
Millet and sudangrass planted now will grow quick biomass like this for chopped & drop later in the summer.
Warning!

if you're using sorghum, sorghum-sudan, or sudangrass as forage, understand that these grasses produce prussic acid and cyanide under certain conditions which may affect some livestock. Do thorough research before grazing animals on these.

Herbs

1st Half of April

SOW INDOORS:

Basil, Lemongrass


DIRECT SOW IN FIELD:

Basil, Catnip, Chives, Epazote, Lemon Balm, Lemongrass, Mint, Roselle Hibiscus, Sage, Terragon, Thai Basil


HARDEN OFF & TRANSPLANT TO FIELD:

Basil, Catnip, Chives, Epazote, Lemon Balm, Lemongrass, Mint, Roselle Hibiscus, Sage, Terragon, Thai Basil


2nd Half of April

SOW INDOORS:

Basil, Lemongrass


DIRECT SOW IN FIELD:

Basil, Catnip, Chives, Epazote, Lemon Balm, Lemongrass, Mint, Roselle Hibiscus, Sage, Terragon, Thai Basil


HARDEN OFF & TRANSPLANT TO FIELD:

Basil, Catnip, Chives, Epazote, Lemon Balm, Lemongrass, Mint, Roselle Hibiscus, Sage, Terragon, Thai Basil


Fruits & Vegetables

1st Half of April

SOW INDOORS:

Amaranth, Basil, Chili Pepper, Cowpea, Eggplant, Jerusalem Artichoke (Tuber), Malabar, Melon, Okra, Pole Bean, Summer Squash, Sweet Pepper


DIRECT SOW IN FIELD:

Amaranth, Basil, Bush Bean, Chili Pepper, Corn, Cucumber, Eggplant, Jerusalem Artichoke (Tuber), Malabar, Melon, Sorghum, Summer Squash, Sweet Pepper, Tomato, Tomatillo, Winter Squash


HARDEN OFF & TRANSPLANT TO FIELD:

Amaranth, Basil, Bush Bean, Chili Pepper, Cucumber, Eggplant, Jerusalem Artichoke, Malabar, Melon, Summer Squash, Sweet Pepper, Winter Squash, Tomato, Tomatillo


2nd Half of April

SOW INDOORS:

Amaranth, Basil, Chili Pepper, Cowpea, Eggplant, Malabar, Melon, Okra, Pole Bean, Summer Squash, Sweet Pepper


DIRECT SOW IN FIELD:

Amaranth, Basil, Chili Pepper, Cowpea, Eggplant, Jerusalem Artichoke (Tuber), Malabar, Melon, Okra, Pole Bean, Sorghum, Summer Squash, Sweet Pepper, Sweet Potato (Slips)


HARDEN OFF & TRANSPLANT TO FIELD:

Amaranth, Basil, Cowpea, Eggplant, Hot Pepper, Jerusalem Artichoke, Malabar, Melon, Okra, Pole Bean, Summer Squash, Sweet Pepper, Tomato, Tomatillo


Grains, Seeds, & Cereals

1st Half of April

BROADCAST IN FIELD:

Amaranth, Buckwheat, Millet, Quinoa, Sesame, Sorghum


DIRECT SOW / DRILL IN FIELD:

Buckwheat, Corn


2nd Half of April

BROADCAST IN FIELD:

Amaranth, Buckwheat, Millet, Quinoa, Sesame, Sorghum


DIRECT SOW / DRILL IN FIELD:

Buckwheat, Corn


Flowers

1st Half of April

DIRECT SOW IN FIELD:


2nd Half of April

DIRECT SOW IN FIELD:


Harvesting

Produce

1st Half of April

Carrots, Kale, Lettuce, Peas, Swiss Chard


2nd Half of April

Kale, Swiss Chard


swiss chard bright lights organic learn dirt gardening
Swiss chard planted in winter will continue producing into April and beyond!
It's more heat-tolerant than many other cool season crops.

Seed Saving

1st Half of April

Broccoli, Collard, Radish, Turnip


2nd Half of April

Broccoli, Collard, Radish, Turnip


Cut Flowers

1st Half of April


2nd Half of April


Weeding

Weeds to Pull

Bindweed

Cowpen Daisy

Grass

Mallow

Spiny Sowthistle

More Tucson Planting Calendars

« March   

Check out the Tucson
planting calendar for March


« March Planting Calendar  

   May »

Check out the Tucson
planting calendar for May


  May Planting Calendar »

All Months

Find the full list of Tucson monthly planting calendars here


All Monthly Calendars

Know some plants I missed for April in Tucson? I'd love to hear from you in the comments!


That's all for now, thanks for reading!

If you have any questions, comments, or would like to connect with fellow gardeners, head on over to the forum.