April – Food Gardening in Subtropics and Warm Regions of Australia
by Ewa Bekiesch, Permaculture designer, educator, self-sufficient and sustainable living consultant, and healthy food advocate.
April is the month when we truly start to feel autumn’s arrival, and we love it! The cooler temperatures make gardening so much more enjoyable. The first winter seedlings are emerging from the soil, and you can watch them grow—or at least some of them. Let’s look at the key tasks for this month
General jobs in April
Soil Care
- Regenerate and enrich the soil if you haven’t already. Mulching now helps retain moisture and protect soil life over winter. (Check my previous articles and YouTube videos for detailed guides.)
Pruning Fruit Trees & Bushes
- Prune deciduous fruit trees and bushes (timing depends on variety and growth stage).
- Use the “chop and drop” method for overgrowth – this returns nutrients to the soil.
- Note: Pruning needs vary yearly. A dedicated pruning guide is coming soon!
Sowing & Planting
- Direct sow winter-hardy crops (more info below) into prepared beds.
- Start and/or transplant seedlings started earlier (brassicas, lettuces).
Watering Young Plants
- Keep soil moist – critical for nutrient uptake in seedlings.
- Avoid waterlogging, but don’t let them dry out.
Planting Fruit Trees & Bushes
- Avoid planting tropical varieties during this time of the year.
Watering is the key to success:
- Soak deeply after planting.
- First week: Water daily (if no rain), then twice weekly.
- Next month: Twice weekly to establish roots before winter. From then as required.
Our Online Store
We sell many of the fruits and veggies mentioned here in the form of seeds, cuttings, and plants through our online store at www.foodforestseeds.au All are naturally grown, non-GMO, heirloom, and open-pollinated plants, and most come directly from my food forest. Simply use the search function or browse through the available categories. Your orders are always greatly appreciated, as they help us continue doing what we love. Thank you so much for your support.
Our Rewards Program!
Earn points with every purchase and use them for discounts on future orders. It’s our way of saying thank you for supporting our mission to help people grow their own food.
Sowing, planting, harvesting
Most of the plants listed below are available in our online store as seeds, cuttings, and/or plants.
Sowing
Many of them are self-seeding in our food forest. If you don’t know some of the plants in the list below, check my Food Forest Guide or visit my online store for more info about the plants, how to grow them, and how to use them, along with some other tips and tricks.
- Asparagus
- Indian Lettuce, Chinese Sword Lettuce – Lactuca indica
- Ethiopian Cabbage – Brassica carinata
- Borage
- bok choy, pak choy
- Cape Gooseberry
- rocket lettuce
- radish
- beetroot
- broad beans
- carrots, the All Season Carrot is best
- cauliflower
- celeriac
- celery
- coriander
- chives
- dill
- kale
- mizuna
- mustard greens
- leeks
- peas
- Sage
- silverbeet
- garlic
- potatoes
- edible flowers
- Pigeon Pea
- Poor Man’s Bean
- Sage
- Tomatoes
- Carraway
- Lettuce
- Marjoram – start seeds in trays
- Onion – start seeds in trays
- Parsley
- Radish
- Rocket Lettuce
- Red cabbage – start seeds in trays
- Silverbeet
- Sunflower
- white cabbage – start seeds in trays
- Wombok Cabbage – start seeds in trays
Planting
Before planting, ensure your plants are sun-trained and confirm their ideal growing conditions:
- Full sun (6+ hours of direct sunlight)
- Partial shade (3–6 hours of sunlight)
- Full shade (less than 3 hours of sunlight)
When selecting trees:
- Choose what you love to eat
- Consider what thrives in your garden’s conditions
For inspiration, explore our Food Forest Guide to see the trees we’re growing!
Note on Fruit Trees:
This list focuses on smaller plants, as there are too many fruit tree varieties suited to warm climates to include here.
- Brazilian spinach
- bush basil – Ocimum oxcitriodorum
- cabbage
- lettuce
- silverbeet
- wombok
- mustard greens
- Galangal – Thai Ginger –Greater Galangal, Alpinia galangal
- Goldenrod – Solidago
- Gotu Kola – Centella asiatica
- Lemongrass – Cymbopogan citratus
- Longevity Spinach – Gynura procumbens
- Okinawa Spinach – Hawaiian lettuce – Gynura bicolour
- Pepino
- Peruvian Parsnip – Arracacia xanthorrhiza
- St John’s Wort – Hypericum perforatum
- Goldenrod – Solidago canadensis
- Tarragon, Estragon – Artemisia dracunculus
- Cassava – Manihot esculenta
- Pigface, Baby Sunrose – Aptenia cordifolia
- Brahmi-Memory Plant – Waterhyssop – Bacopa monnieri
- Bana Grass – Pennisetum purpureum x amaricanum
- Sugarcane Red – Saccharum officinarum
- horseradish
- tomatoes
- oregano
- shallots
- onions
- garlic chives
- pineapples
- Rose Geranium
- sweet potatoes
- Strawberry plants
- mint
Harvesting
We harvest each day according to what we plan to eat and what’s ready for picking. Naturally, we don’t strip the garden bare – most crops continue growing until they’re needed for:
- Fresh kitchen ingredients
- Green mulch through our ‘chop and drop’ method
- Compost material (for plants that grow too vigorously)
- Feed for our chickens, ducks, or worm farm
The garden offers us countless ways to use its bounty.
Perennials crop we harvest in April:
- Cherry Guava
- bush basil – Ocimum oxcitriodorum
- Cranberry Hibiscus – Hibiscus acetosella – leaves
- Galangal – Thai Ginger –Greater Galangal, Alpinia galangal – leaves and roots
- Gotu Kola – Centella asiatica – leaves
- Lemongrass – Cymbopogan citratus – leaves and stalks
- Longevity Spinach – Gynura procumbens – leaves and stalks
- Okinawa Spinach – Hawaiian lettuce – Gynura bicolour – leaves and stalks
- Peruvian Parsnip – Arracacia xanthorrhiza – leaves and roots
- Rosella – Roselle – leaves and calyx
- Tarragon, Estragon – Artemisia dracunculus – leaves and flowers
- Cassava – Manihot esculenta – leaves and roots
- Brahmi-Memory Plant – Waterhyssop – Bacopa monnieri – leaves
- Bana Grass – Pennisetum purpureum x amaricanum – leaves for mulch
- West Indian Arrowroot – Maranta arundinacea – root
- Sugarcane Red – Saccharum officinarum – cane, mostly to dry and store for smoking meet later on
- Sweet Leaf – Sauropus androgynous – leaves
- Elderberry – Sambucus Nigra – berries and flowers
- Alpine strawberries – Wild Strawberries – berries
- Aloe Vera
- Dragon fruit
- Hawaiian guava
- shallots
- garlic chives
- pineapples
- Sweet potatoes – leaves and roots
- bananas
- passion fruit
- Panama berries
- pawpaw – leaves and fruits
- Loganberries – leaves
- Horseradish leaves – leaves and roots
- Blackberry – leaves
- Star fruit – fruit
- Limes
- Tamarillo
Short-lived perennials and annuals we harvest in April:
- squash, tromboncino, zucchini, pumpkin
- Cucamelons
- Winged bean
- chilly, capsicum
- eggplant
- tomatoes
- all sorts of herbs
- Asian Pigeonwings, Butterfly Pea – Clitoria Ternatea
- Okra – Abelmoschus esculentus
- West Indian Gherkins, Maroon Cucumber – Cucumis anguria
- Bottle Gourd, Calabash – Lagenaria siceraria, and other gourds
- Luffa – Luffa aegyptiaca
- QLD Arrowrot – leaves for chickens and bulbs for us
If you want to know how we use the plants we grow, or you’d like to add something or ask a question, simply comment below, and follow us on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. I am also offering onsite and online/email/over-the-phone consultations if you are not sure where to start. More info about my services here.
Buying seeds and seedlings
When purchasing seeds or seedlings, always choose heirloom varieties. As open-pollinated plants, heirlooms allow you to collect, save, and replant seeds season after season, creating a sustainable cycle for your garden. Beyond their practical advantages, heirloom varieties offer superior flavor and nutrition. Their rich, complex taste comes from a higher concentration of micronutrients typically absent in commercially grown hybrid produce.
All seeds and plants in our online shop are heirloom, non-GMO, and grown naturally with love and passion.
I hope this article helps you plan and organize your garden, bringing you one step closer to growing abundant food and achieving self-reliance sooner rather than later!
Are you ready to transform your garden into a lush, productive paradise? Whether you’re starting a small veggie patch, a vibrant flower bed, or a thriving food forest, we’ve got you covered! Check out our online shop at www.foodforestseeds.au
If you would like to support our work, you can do so in many ways:
*Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you get notified about new videos. It’s free!
*Leave a comment under the videos you watch
*Follow us on Facebook and Instagram
*Buy a plant, cuttings, seeds, or my Food Forest Guide at https://www.foodforestseeds.au
*Buy us a coffee. Our PayPal email is permaculturehaven@gmail.com
How is your garden doing in April? I would love to hear from you! Comment below.
The next article comes in the first week of May.
Happy Gardening!
Ewa
P.S. Don’t forget to visit my online shop to explore our wide selection of seeds, plants, and cuttings. Use the search function to find exactly what you’re looking for, and start your gardening journey today!
