May planting calendar
springWhat to plant in May
Warm-season planting opens across zones 5-7 once last frost passes. Zones 8-10 are in peak production. This is the highest-traffic gardening month of the year.
Universal May tasks
These tasks apply to most temperate gardens across the US and UK in May. Check the per-zone sections below for the specific crops to plant in your zone.
- Plant warm-season crops after last frost — tomatoes, peppers, beans, cucumbers, squash.
- Mulch beds heavily once soil has warmed to retain moisture.
- Stake or cage tomato plants before they sprawl.
- Direct-sow corn, beans, cucumbers, squash, and melons once soil hits 16 °C.
- Begin succession sowing of bush beans every 2-3 weeks.
- Pinch herbs to encourage bushy growth.
UK gardeners — May
May is the UK's tender-crop month. Plant out tomatoes, peppers, courgettes, runner beans, and sweetcorn after the last frost (typically mid- to late May). Direct-sow French beans, courgettes, sweetcorn, and squashes. Harvest asparagus, rhubarb, and first lettuce.
Most of England and Wales falls in RHS H4-H5 (roughly USDA 7-8). Scotland skews cooler (H3-H4); coastal southwest skews warmer (H5). See UK hardiness ratings →
May planting by USDA zone
Pick your USDA zone for the full crop-by-crop list for May. Each zone page includes sowing, transplanting, harvesting, and maintenance actions.
Zone 3 — May
4 actions- Transplant: Brassicas, onions, leeks, lettuce, potatoes
- Sow outdoors: Peas, spinach, radishes, carrots, beets, kale, chard
- Transplant: Tomatoes (very late May, after last frost in early June)
See full zone 3 plan →
Zone 4 — May
4 actions- Transplant: Tomatoes, peppers, basil (late May)
- Sow outdoors: Beans, corn, cucumbers, squash (late May)
- Sow outdoors: Carrots, beets, lettuce succession
See full zone 4 plan →
Zone 5 — May
4 actions- Transplant: Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, basil (mid-May)
- Sow outdoors: Beans, corn, cucumbers, squash, melons
- Sow outdoors: Carrots, beets, lettuce succession
See full zone 5 plan →
Zone 6 — May
4 actions- Transplant: Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, basil
- Sow outdoors: Beans, corn, cucumbers, squash, melons, okra
- Sow outdoors: Sweet potato slips (late May)
See full zone 6 plan →
Zone 7 — May
4 actions- Transplant: Sweet potatoes, okra, eggplant
- Sow outdoors: Beans, corn, cucumbers, squash, melons, southern peas
- Harvest: Strawberries, peas, lettuce, spring brassicas
See full zone 7 plan →
Zone 8 — May
4 actions- Sow outdoors: Heat-tolerant beans (yard-long, southern peas), okra, melons
- Sow outdoors: Sweet potato slips
- Harvest: Tomatoes (early), peppers, squash, peas, strawberries, onions
See full zone 8 plan →
Zone 9 — May
4 actions- Sow outdoors: Okra, southern peas, sweet potatoes, hot peppers
- Harvest: Tomatoes (spring crop), peppers, squash, beans, onions, garlic
- Maintain: Heavy mulch and irrigation for summer heat
See full zone 9 plan →
Zone 10 — May
4 actions- Harvest: Tomatoes, peppers, squash, beans, onions, garlic, citrus
- Sow outdoors: Sweet potatoes, okra, southern peas, tropical herbs
- Maintain: Shade cloth, mulch, drip irrigation
See full zone 10 plan →
Zones 1-2 and 11-13 in May
Sub-Arctic zones 1-2 (interior Alaska and northern Canada) are still effectively dormant for any month outside June-August. Greenhouse and cold-frame work dominates the calendar; outdoor planting compresses into a 60-90 day window.
Tropical zones 11-13 (Hawaii, southern Florida, Puerto Rico) have no frost cycle. Calendar timing depends on the wet/dry seasons rather than spring/fall frost — most temperate crops grow October through April, with the hot-wet summer as the off-season.
Source and methodology
Timing curated against US Cooperative Extension publications (UNL, UMN, NC State, Texas A&M, UF/IFAS, Oregon State) and cross-checked against the RHS sowing calendar for UK readers. Frost-date averages from NOAA Climate Data Online. Curated by the Growli editorial team.