What to Plant Right Now
An edible garden plan for the Pacific Northest, April 2025
My goal has always been to empower anyone reading this to grow their own food at home. There are countless options available, whether you have a sprawling yard, a small patio, or no yard at all. So, get out there, start growing, taste the difference, and begin evolving the way you consume and think about fresh food. Backyard farms are incredible! I hope you begin this year or continue expanding your gardening skills.
Below, please find planting maps that you can use to plant your garden RIGHT NOW. Most suggestions assume you’ll be using seeds, not starts, which just means timings will be faster if you plant with starts.
Proper Plant Spacing + What to Plant in April
I plugged the same garden request I asked AI yesterday into a subscription version of ChatGPT, and I believe the answer I received is even better than yesterday's newsletter recording. I'm excited to share it with you 👇. This AI-generated planting list, combined with my maps, should set you up for a fantastic start this season.
Get out there and enjoy the process! Keep me posted on your progress. And holler with questions.
oxo
amyp👩🏽🌾
AI Results:
Since you’re starting on April 12, you’ve got a solid window for spring planting and succession planting into summer and fall.
Here’s a planting calendar and chart for your two raised beds, along with general care notes.
🛠️ General Care and Maintenance Tips
🌿 Soil Prep & Fertilizing
Mix in compost before planting (now).
Use balanced organic fertilizer at planting time (e.g., 5-5-5), especially for heavy feeders like broccoli, kale, and zucchini.
Fertilize monthly for kale and broccoli with a nitrogen-rich amendment (e.g., fish emulsion or blood meal).
Avoid over-fertilizing root crops like carrots and radishes—too much nitrogen = more leaves, fewer roots.
💧 Watering
Keep soil moist, not soaked. Aim for ~1" per week.
Water more frequently during dry summer stretches.
Drip irrigation or a soaker hose is ideal for consistency.
🐛 Pests & Protection
Use row covers early on for brassicas (kale, broccoli) to deter cabbage moths.
Handpick aphids or spray with a neem oil solution if needed.
Slugs love tender seedlings in spring—use traps or iron phosphate pellets.
☀️ Sunlight Considerations
Your 10am–4pm sun window is decent, especially as the season progresses and the sun climbs higher.
Plant taller crops like peas and broccoli on the north side of the beds to avoid shading smaller ones. (I was particularly impressed with this suggestion! - amy)
📆 Month-by-Month Overview (2025 Season)
April
Direct sow: peas, lettuce, spinach, radish, kale, onions
Transplant: broccoli starts
Start fertilizing leafy greens mid-late month
May
Harvest early radishes and spinach
Sow carrots and beets (after early harvests)
Mulch around beds to retain moisture
June
First broccoli and lettuce harvests
Begin regular harvesting of kale, green onions
Monitor for bolting in spinach and lettuce
July
Plant zucchini (where broccoli was)
Plant bush beans (after snap peas)
Fertilize zucchini 2 weeks after transplanting
Water deeply during heatwaves
August
Continue harvesting kale, beans, zucchini
Start seeds for fall crops indoors (lettuce, spinach, arugula)
September
Sow fall crops (direct seed or transplant): lettuce, spinach, arugula
Begin to clean out warm-season crops as they fade
October
Plant garlic (after onions harvested)
Mulch garlic well for overwintering