Bishy Barnabee’s Cottage Garden

Sow in April

The busiest sowing month — everything is possible

What to sow in April
Flower seedsAnnuals & perennialsVeg seedsFrom salad to squashHerb seedsKitchen and gardenDirect sowingStraight in the soilPollinator friendlyBees & butterfliesUnder £2.50Stock up favourites
231 products
A close-up of Phacelia flowers, with delicate purple petals and green foliage, from Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden. These bee-friendly blooms are often grown from Phacelia seeds as beneficial green manure in gardens.
Annual

Phacelia

Coiled lavender-blue flower spikes that uncurl as they…

Sow: Mar–Sep
£1.95 View
Phlox Sugar Stars by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden features clusters of violet-blue, star-shaped flowers blooming amid green foliage, bordered by a white concrete edge with blurred grass and sky in the background.
Annual

Phlox Sugar Stars

Star-shaped flowers in violet-blue and deep indigo, each…

Sow: Mar–May
£2.20 View
Close-up of Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden's Poppy Black Peony with dark burgundy, ruffled blooms, green foliage, and stems against a blue sky. Perfect for dried flower arrangements.
Annual

Poppy Black Peony

Huge fully double blooms in a velvety maroon…

Sow: Mar–May · Aug–Sep
£2.20 View
Poppy Flanders Red
Annual

Poppy Flanders Red

The British field poppy, the same Papaver rhoeas…

Sow: Mar–May · Aug–Sep
£1.59 View
Two bees gather nectar from a large, light purple Poppy Hungarian Blue flower by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden, featuring a dark center and green leaves, with another poppy blooming in the background. This variety is known for edible poppy seeds.
Annual

Poppy Hungarian Blue

Large single violet-purple bowls, eight to ten centimetres…

Sow: Mar–May · Sep–Oct
£2.20 View
A vivid Poppy Ladybird by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden opens amid green foliage, viewed from above. The softly blurred background highlights its scarlet-red petals with black centers and intricate stamens.
Annual

Poppy Ladybird

Scarlet cups with a huge black blotch at…

Sow: Mar–May · Sep–Oct
£2.10 View
Radish Sparkler
Vegetable Seeds

Radish Sparkler

The cheerful little salad radish, bright red with…

Sow: Mar–Sep
£1.95 View
Close-up of vibrant pink Red Campion flowers by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden, with green stems and leaves in a field against a cloudy sky. The focused blooms and blurred background make them ideal for wildlife-friendly gardens.
Perennial

Red Campion

Rose-pink five-petalled flowers, each petal deeply notched so…

Sow: Mar–May · Sep–Oct
£2.40 View
A bunch of freshly harvested Rocket Wild from Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden Ltd with roots and soil sits on a wooden cutting board in a rustic kitchen, with vegetables and a copper kettle near a bright window.New
Vegetable Seeds

Rocket Wild

The proper wild Mediterranean rocket, not the milder…

Sow: Mar–Sep
£1.70 View
Rose Campion by Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden features vivid magenta blooms with silvery-green foliage—an ideal outdoor choice for vibrant color in your garden.
Biennial

Rose Campion

Two beautiful things on one plant that look…

Sow: Feb–Aug
£2.10 View
Sage CommonNew
Herb Seeds

Sage Common

The definitive culinary workhorse of a cottage garden

Sow: Feb–May
£1.95 View
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Sowing in April — your questions answered

What can I sow in April?

Almost everything. Outdoors: hardy annuals (cornflowers, calendula, ammi, nigella, larkspur), peas, beans, lettuce, beetroot, carrots, parsnips, spring onions, and most leafy greens. Under cover: half-hardy annuals like cosmos and zinnias, tomatoes, courgettes, squashes, and pumpkins. April is the month where the planting calendar properly opens up.

Should I still be sowing tender plants indoors?

Yes. April is the ideal month to start cosmos, zinnias, tithonia, courgettes, squashes, runner beans, and French beans under cover. They need a few weeks of growth before they can go outside in late May. Start them in modules or small pots and pot them on as they fill their roots. Don't be tempted to plant them out before the last frost — they will not recover.

Can I succession sow this early?

Definitely — it's the secret to a productive vegetable garden. Sow lettuce, radishes, beetroot, and carrots in small batches every two to three weeks rather than one big sowing. The same applies to flowers like cornflowers and calendula — a second batch sown four weeks after the first will extend the flowering season well into autumn.

What if we get a late frost?

Cover anything tender with horticultural fleece, cloches, or even an inverted bucket overnight. Hardy seedlings sown direct will usually shrug off a light frost without complaint. Half-hardy plants like cosmos, zinnias, and tomatoes are the ones to worry about — keep them under cover until you are confident the frosts have passed in your area.