What to plant in May

Find your USDA hardiness zone below to see which crops have a start-indoors, sowing, or transplanting window in May. Every crop links to exact dated windows computed from your zone's frost dates.

These tables use US hardiness zones and northern hemisphere seasons. In Australia the months flip, and the Dibble app handles Canadian and Australian zones directly.

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Zone 3

Full zone calendar

What to plant in May: Zone 3
Task	Crops
Start seeds indoors	Basil (dates), Brussels Sprouts (dates)
Direct sow	Potato (dates), Lettuce (dates), Carrot (dates), Bean (bush) (dates), Cucumber (dates), Zucchini (dates), Winter Squash (dates), Beet (dates), Radish (dates), Sweet Corn (dates), Cilantro (dates), Zinnia (dates), Sunflower (dates), Cosmos (dates), Dill (dates), Swiss Chard (dates), Turnip (dates), Parsnip (dates), Arugula (dates), Okra (dates), Cantaloupe (dates), Watermelon (dates), Nasturtium (dates), Calendula (dates), Borage (dates), Pumpkin (dates), Green Onion (dates), Bok Choy (dates), Fennel (dates), Shallot (dates), Kohlrabi (dates), Chamomile (dates)
Transplant	Tomato (dates), Pepper (dates), Onion (dates), Kale (dates), Broccoli (dates), Cabbage (dates), Basil (dates), Marigold (dates), Strawberry (dates), Blueberry (dates), Raspberry (dates), Blackberry (dates), Asparagus (dates), Rhubarb (dates), Grape (dates), Fig (dates), Mint (dates), Parsley (dates), Thyme (dates), Rosemary (dates), Oregano (dates), Sage (dates), Chives (dates), Eggplant (dates), Cauliflower (dates), Brussels Sprouts (dates), Leek (dates), Celery (dates), Lavender (dates), Hot Pepper (dates), Tomatillo (dates), Collard Greens (dates), Apple (dates), Pear (dates), Peach (dates), Plum (dates), Cherry (dates), Apricot (dates), Lemon (dates), Orange (dates)
Plant tubers	Dahlia (dates)

Zone 4

Full zone calendar

What to plant in May: Zone 4
Task	Crops
Direct sow	Potato (dates), Carrot (dates), Bean (bush) (dates), Cucumber (dates), Zucchini (dates), Winter Squash (dates), Sweet Corn (dates), Cilantro (dates), Zinnia (dates), Sunflower (dates), Cosmos (dates), Dill (dates), Swiss Chard (dates), Parsnip (dates), Okra (dates), Cantaloupe (dates), Watermelon (dates), Nasturtium (dates), Calendula (dates), Borage (dates), Pumpkin (dates), Bok Choy (dates), Fennel (dates), Shallot (dates), Kohlrabi (dates), Chamomile (dates)
Transplant	Tomato (dates), Pepper (dates), Onion (dates), Kale (dates), Broccoli (dates), Sweet Potato (dates), Cabbage (dates), Basil (dates), Marigold (dates), Strawberry (dates), Blueberry (dates), Raspberry (dates), Blackberry (dates), Asparagus (dates), Rhubarb (dates), Grape (dates), Fig (dates), Mint (dates), Parsley (dates), Thyme (dates), Rosemary (dates), Oregano (dates), Sage (dates), Chives (dates), Eggplant (dates), Cauliflower (dates), Brussels Sprouts (dates), Leek (dates), Celery (dates), Lavender (dates), Hot Pepper (dates), Tomatillo (dates), Collard Greens (dates), Apple (dates), Pear (dates), Peach (dates), Plum (dates), Cherry (dates), Apricot (dates), Lemon (dates), Orange (dates)
Plant tubers	Dahlia (dates)

Zone 5

Full zone calendar

What to plant in May: Zone 5
Task	Crops
Direct sow	Bean (bush) (dates), Cucumber (dates), Zucchini (dates), Winter Squash (dates), Sweet Corn (dates), Zinnia (dates), Sunflower (dates), Cosmos (dates), Okra (dates), Cantaloupe (dates), Watermelon (dates), Nasturtium (dates), Borage (dates), Pumpkin (dates)
Transplant	Tomato (dates), Pepper (dates), Sweet Potato (dates), Basil (dates), Marigold (dates), Fig (dates), Mint (dates), Thyme (dates), Rosemary (dates), Oregano (dates), Sage (dates), Eggplant (dates), Brussels Sprouts (dates), Celery (dates), Lavender (dates), Hot Pepper (dates), Tomatillo (dates), Lemon (dates), Orange (dates)
Plant tubers	Dahlia (dates)

Zone 6

Full zone calendar

What to plant in May: Zone 6
Task	Crops
Direct sow	Bean (bush) (dates), Cucumber (dates), Zucchini (dates), Winter Squash (dates), Sweet Corn (dates), Zinnia (dates), Sunflower (dates), Cosmos (dates), Okra (dates), Cantaloupe (dates), Watermelon (dates), Nasturtium (dates), Borage (dates), Pumpkin (dates)
Transplant	Tomato (dates), Pepper (dates), Sweet Potato (dates), Basil (dates), Marigold (dates), Fig (dates), Mint (dates), Thyme (dates), Rosemary (dates), Oregano (dates), Sage (dates), Eggplant (dates), Brussels Sprouts (dates), Celery (dates), Lavender (dates), Hot Pepper (dates), Tomatillo (dates), Lemon (dates), Orange (dates)
Plant tubers	Dahlia (dates)

Zone 7

Full zone calendar

What to plant in May: Zone 7
Task	Crops
Direct sow	Bean (bush) (dates), Cucumber (dates), Zucchini (dates), Winter Squash (dates), Sweet Corn (dates), Zinnia (dates), Cosmos (dates), Okra (dates), Cantaloupe (dates), Watermelon (dates), Nasturtium (dates), Pumpkin (dates)
Transplant	Tomato (dates), Pepper (dates), Sweet Potato (dates), Basil (dates), Fig (dates), Rosemary (dates), Eggplant (dates), Brussels Sprouts (dates), Hot Pepper (dates), Tomatillo (dates), Lemon (dates), Orange (dates)
Plant tubers	Dahlia (dates)

Zone 8

Full zone calendar

What to plant in May: Zone 8
Task	Crops
Transplant	Sweet Potato (dates)

Zone 9

Full zone calendar

No planting windows land in May for Zone 9. It is a good month to plan beds, order seeds, and get ahead of the season.

Zone 10

Full zone calendar

No planting windows land in May for Zone 10. It is a good month to plan beds, order seeds, and get ahead of the season.

Zone 11

Full zone calendar

No planting windows land in May for Zone 11. It is a good month to plan beds, order seeds, and get ahead of the season.

Other months

January February March April June July August September October November December

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