Grow your own: April

Sow indoors

On a windowsill, in a greenhouse or under cover

• Tomatoesfrost-tender

  Greenhouse plants can go in from late April; outdoor ones only once frosts are over.

• Cucumbersfrost-tender

  Sow seeds on their edge to stop them rotting.

• Courgettesfrost-tender

  Pick small and often — one or two plants feed a family.

• Squash & pumpkinsfrost-tender

  Leave winter squash on the plant until the skin hardens, then cure in the sun.

• Sweetcornfrost-tender

  Plant in a block, not a row — it's pollinated by the wind.

• Runner beansfrost-tender

  Keep picking or they stop producing; water well when flowering.

• French beansfrost-tender

  Dwarf types need no supports — good for pots.

• Leeks

  Drop seedlings into deep dibber holes and fill with water, not soil.

• Basilfrost-tender

  Hates cold and wet — a sunny windowsill is often best.

Sow outside

Straight into the ground

• Broad beans

  Autumn sowings crop earliest; pinch out the tips when pods form to deter blackfly.

• Peas

  Give them twiggy sticks or netting to climb.

• Carrots

  Sow thinly to avoid thinning, which attracts carrot fly.

• Parsnips

  Always use fresh seed; they taste sweeter after a frost.

• Beetroot

  Sow little and often for tender roots all summer.

• Radishes

  Ready in about a month — perfect for children to grow.

• Lettuce

  Sow a short row every fortnight; it bolts in hot, dry spells.

• Salad leaves & rocket

  Cut-and-come-again: snip leaves and they regrow.

• Spinach

  Prefers cool weather — spring and late-summer sowings do best.

• Chard

  Very forgiving, and often crops right through a mild winter.

• Kale

  Pick the lower leaves and it keeps going all winter.

• Purple sprouting broccoli

  Takes nearly a year, but crops in the hungry gap when little else does.

• Brussels sprouts

  Firm the soil well around them so they don't rock in winter winds.

• Parsley

  Slow to germinate; soaking the seed overnight helps.

Plant out

Seedlings, sets and young plants

• Potatoes

  Chit seed potatoes in February; earth up as shoots appear and cover if frost threatens.

• Onions (sets)

  Lift when the leaves flop over, and dry before storing.

• Strawberries

  Tuck straw under the fruit to keep it clean and away from slugs.

Ready to harvest

• Radishes
• Salad leaves & rocket
• Spinach
• Purple sprouting broccoli
• Rhubarb