Shanghai in April: what to plant
Over the last 5 years, April in Shanghai has run 12.3–21.6°C with about 117 mm of rain across the month. Here is what weather like that will carry to harvest.
Everything above is a five-year average. In the game it is this — the weather Shanghai is actually having, today.
Grow one in Shanghai's weather right now →❄️ No sub-zero nights in April in the last 5 years — frost is not the limiting factor here.
🗓️ This month sits inside the frost-free window. Average last spring frost around Feb 23, first autumn frost around Dec 8 — roughly 289 frost-free days. Sow tender crops after the last frost date and make sure they finish before the first.
☀️ About 7.3 h of sunshine a day this month. Within the month it warms by about 2.0°C from the first ten days to the last.
Sow this month — when would you harvest?
Assuming you sow in mid-April, then adding up the warmth Shanghai usually gets, one day at a time — which is why some of these run past the end of the month.
| Crop | Days | Harvest around |
|---|---|---|
| 🥬 Cauliflower | 58 | Jun 11 |
| 🥬 Napa cabbage | 51 | Jun 4 |
| 🥔 Potato | 65 | Jun 18 |
| 🥕 Parsnip | 74 | Jun 27 |
| 🫛 Peas | 45 | May 29 |
| 🌿 Chrysanthemum greens | 31 | May 15 |
| 🥗 Lettuce | 42 | May 26 |
| 🫘 Broad bean | 55 | Jun 8 |
| ⚪ Turnip | 35 | May 19 |
| 🥢 Green Beans | 57 | Jun 10 |
| 🧅 Leek | 67 | Jun 20 |
| 🍓 Strawberry | 47 | May 31 |
Best crops to sow now
They are all ideal for this month — the only real difference is how long each one takes, so pick whatever you want to eat.
- 🥬 Cauliflower about 74 days to harvest Recent mean 17.0°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥬 Napa cabbage about 66 days to harvest Recent mean 17.0°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥔 Potato about 91 days to harvest Recent mean 17.0°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥕 Parsnip about 99 days to harvest Recent mean 17.0°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🫛 Peas about 55 days to harvest Recent mean 17.0°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌿 Chrysanthemum greens about 36 days to harvest Recent mean 17.0°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥗 Lettuce about 51 days to harvest Recent mean 17.0°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🫘 Broad bean about 69 days to harvest Recent mean 17.0°C — right in the sweet spot
- ⚪ Turnip about 41 days to harvest Recent mean 17.0°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥢 Green Beans about 87 days to harvest Recent mean 17.0°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🧅 Leek about 89 days to harvest Recent mean 17.0°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🍓 Strawberry about 58 days to harvest Recent mean 17.0°C — right in the sweet spot
Leave these for another month
- 🌶️ Okra — Recent mean 17.0°C is too cold (ideal 20–33°C)
- 🍆 Aubergine — Recent mean 17.0°C is too cold (ideal 18–32°C)
- 🍈 Winter melon — Recent mean 17.0°C is too cold (ideal 18–32°C)
Other months in Shanghai
📍 Somewhere else? Look up your own city →
Temperature and rainfall come from Open-Meteo's historical observations for Shanghai, averaged day by day over the last 5 years. Whether a crop finishes in time is worked out from its own starting temperature and heat requirement — those numbers are listed on each crop page if you want to check them.