In Season for April:
April marks the transition from winter storage crops to the first signs of spring across Canada. While fresh local produce options remain limited in most regions, you’ll find emerging early-spring crops like rhubarb and fiddleheads in some areas, alongside reliable greenhouse-grown vegetables, including eggplant and hardy storage crops that carry us through the shoulder season.
Availability varies significantly by province, weather, and year. What you see in a BC greenhouse may differ from an Atlantic market or Ontario grocery store. Use our What’s in Season chart as a general guide, and check your local grocer and farmers’ market for specifics in your region.
Fresh in April (Emerging Spring Crops)
These are typically the first local field crops available in parts of Canada during April:
- Rhubarb (forced and early field): Available April–July from BC, Ontario, and Nova Scotia. Select stalks that are firm and shiny. If you have the choice, select the younger, redder stalks of the plant that are thinner and less fibrous because they are more tender and sweet. Leaves are inedible; use stalks only.
- Fiddleheads (ostrich fern fronds): Late April–early June near rivers/streams in New Brunswick, PEI, southern Quebec, southern Ontario, and BC. Select only the ostrich fern (brown papery scales, U-shaped groove on stem). Do not eat raw—boil/steam 10–15 min first to reduce foodborne illness risk. Fiddleheads have a very short season.
Fresh in April (Greenhouse)
Greenhouse-Grown (year-round availability):
- Bell peppers: Year-round. What’s in Season? Bell Peppers (Field and Greenhouse)
- Cucumbers: Year-round. What’s in Season? Cucumbers
- Eggplant: What’s in Season? Eggplant
- Lettuce: Year-round. What’s in Season? Lettuce
- Mushrooms: Year-yound. What’s in Season? Mushrooms
- Tomatoes: Year-round. What’s in Season? Tomatoes (Field and Greenhouse)
- Strawberries: Year-round supplement. Strawberries (greenhouse, year-round)
Available in April (Peak Storage)
- Apples (deep storage): September–April from Ontario (Niagara), BC (Okanagan), Quebec, Atlantic; Empire, Idared, Cortland excellent long-keepers. What’s in Season? Apples
- Beets: Fall-spring storage. What’s in Season? Beets
- Carrots: Year-round storage freshness. What’s in Season? Carrots
- Cabbage: November–April storage. What’s in Season? Cabbage
- Cranberries: Stored from October harvest; BC, Quebec bogs. What’s in Season? Cranberries
- Potatoes: Year-round storage. What’s in Season? Potatoes
- Dry Onions: Year-round storage. What’s in Season? Dry Onions
- Sweet Potaoes: Year-round storage. What’s in Season? Sweet Potatoes
- Turnips & Rutabaga: What’s in Season? Turnips & Rutabaga
