April is garlic month for much of New Zealand. Exactly when depends on where you garden. In Northland and Auckland, the garlic window closes this month. Through most of the country, it opens. In Central Otago and the high country, it doesn't open until May. April is also when citrus trees can start going in everywhere, and when frost-tender summer crops reach the end of their run in much of the country.

Quick Answer: Plant These Anywhere in NZ

Eight crops are inside their planting window in every NZ growing zone this April:

  • Beetroot (sow August–May)
  • Carrot (sow September–May)
  • Pak choy (sow August–May)
  • Radish (sow August–April) — last month
  • Silverbeet (sow August–May)
  • Lemon, mandarin and orange (plant April–September) — window opens

Radish closes at the end of April everywhere, so sow one last short row early in the month. Beetroot, carrot, silverbeet and pak choy all run until the end of May. Beetroot, carrot and silverbeet are frost-hardy, which matters now that cold nights are arriving. Pak choy is recorded as frost-tender, but the cool weather means it's no longer at risk of the heat bolting that troubles summer sowings. Silverbeet is the one to give the most bed space, since it keeps cropping through winter — see Growing Silverbeet Year-Round in NZ.

Citrus: same window everywhere, different care

Lemon, mandarin and orange go in as potted nursery stock, not seed. Their April–September planting window is the same in every zone. All three are recorded as frost-tender, and the planting-window notes advise avoiding midwinter planting in frosty areas. In the temperate and cool/mountain zones, that means planting early in the window (April) or waiting until spring, rather than putting a young tree out in June or July. For variety choice, see the guides to lemon, mandarin and orange varieties.

Not sure which zone you're in? The NZ frost dates guide covers it by town.

Sub-Tropical: Northland, Auckland and Coastal Taranaki

Garlic's sowing window closes at the end of April here (March–April). If you haven't planted yet, this is the deadline. The planting-window notes give depth as 5cm, with cloves 15cm apart, and about seven months to an October–November harvest. Elephant and Rocombole Early Red (both Koanga Institute) are the varieties sourced for this zone. If disease has been a problem before, see Rust and White Rot in NZ Garlic.

Frost doesn't arrive here until May, so April is the last frost-free month. That makes it a good time to get citrus in the ground. The harvest is still broad:

  • Tamarillo harvest opens (April–November) — see the tamarillo growing guide.
  • Yacon harvest opens (April–July). That's a much longer window than further south, because the late, mild autumn frost means tubers don't need to be rushed out of the ground.
  • Tomato, courgette, capsicum, eggplant, basil and passionfruit all keep cropping into May.
  • Pumpkin and spinach are in their final harvest month.

Temperate: Most of the Country

In temperate gardens, garlic's sowing window opens this month (April–May). It's the main planting job in April. Plant cloves 5cm deep and 15cm apart for a harvest in November–December. Rocombole Early Red, Rocombole Ruby Red and Rocombole Early White (all Koanga Institute) are among the approved picks.

Frost season here also starts in April, which puts a deadline on the summer harvest. Tomato, courgette, cucumber, capsicum, eggplant, basil and yacon all reach the end of their harvest windows this month. Yacon is frost-tender: the notes say to lift tubers once the first frost blackens the foliage. For everything else on that list, pick what's usable ahead of a forecast cold night. Spinach also finishes this month.

Other crops carry on. Climbing beans, peas and lettuce run until May, pumpkin until June, and feijoa until July. Jerusalem artichoke opens its harvest window in April (April–August) — frost starts its season rather than ending it.

Cool/Mountain: Central Otago, Queenstown and the Central Plateau

Cool/mountain gardens plant the same eight crops as everyone else, but garlic waits until May here (sowing May–June). The notes explain why: hardneck garlic needs an extended spell of cold below 10°C to form cloves, so this zone plants latest, near the winter solstice. Use April to clear and compost the bed it'll go into.

Frost risk here started in March, so the summer harvest is already over. There's no last-minute rush for basil, courgette or tomato — they finished last month. April's picking list is cool-season:

  • Cucumber and spinach are in their final harvest month. Cucumber is frost-tender, so a hard frost may end it early.
  • Climbing beans, peas and lettuce crop until May.
  • Pumpkin (to June), feijoa (to July) and Jerusalem artichoke (to August) continue.

Citrus is in its planting window here too, but with frost already underway, choose your warmest, most sheltered spot and plant early in the window.

Recommended Cultivars

These cultivar picks for April's sowings come from NZ suppliers:

  • Beetroot — Bulls Blood, Chioggia (Kings Seeds NZ); Bull's Blood (Koanga Institute)
  • Carrot — Paris Market (Kings Seeds NZ, Koanga Institute); Oxheart (Koanga Institute)
  • Silverbeet — Rainbow Lights (Kings Seeds NZ); Rainbow, Perpetual Spinach (Koanga Institute)
  • Garlic — Rocombole Early Red, Rocombole Ruby Red, Rocombole Early White, Elephant (Koanga Institute)

There are no approved cultivar picks yet for pak choy, radish or the citrus trees in this list.

April Garden Jobs, Anywhere in NZ

These are general autumn jobs, not zone-sourced planting data:

  • Clear and compost beds as summer crops finish, especially wherever garlic is going next.
  • Watch the forecast. A single early frost can end tender crops overnight, so harvest ahead of a cold night.
  • Cure pumpkins in the sun for a week or two before storing.
  • Keep thinning autumn roots so the remaining beetroot and carrots have room to size up.

Next Steps

For month-by-month sowing and harvest timing in your area, see the full planting calendar for your zone: