Skip to content
PlantNurseryHQ

← All guides

Monthly planting guide

What to plant in May

Computed from this directory's own crop-rules table and each zone band's real median frost dates or monthly temperatures, for the 15th of May. A single national list would be wrong for most readers: May means a different planting stage in a cold-winter zone than it does in a hot, frost-rare one. Every crop name below links to that crop's own sourced guide.

Planting windows and crop timing here are computed from USDA/NOAA climate data and the university extension sources cited below, not a site visit or soil test. Treat this as a starting point: local conditions vary, and a local nursery or extension office can advise on your exact site. See our full Disclaimer.

Zones 1-5 (cold winters)

Fort Plain, NY · Zone 5b

Direct-sow

Cilantro , Cleome (Spider Flower) , Cosmos , Cucumber , Dill , Four O'Clock , Lima Beans , Morning Glory , Pole Beans , Snap Beans (Bush) , Summer Squash , Sunflower , Sweet Corn , Zinnia , Zucchini

Transplant outside

Basil , Catnip/Catmint , Chives , Cleome (Spider Flower) , Cucumber , Lavender , Lemongrass , Marjoram , Mint , Oregano , Rosemary , Sage , Summer Squash , Tarragon , Thyme , Tomato , Zucchini

Zones 6-7 (temperate)

McMinnville, TN · Zone 7b

Direct-sow

Basil , Dill

Zones 8-9 (warm)

Apopka, FL · Zone 9b

Direct-sow

Basil

Zones 10-13 (hot, frost rare or absent)

Loxahatchee, FL · Zone 10b

Frost is rare or absent here; timing follows temperature, not frost dates.

Warm-season crops

Artichoke , Arugula , Basil , Bell Pepper , Cantaloupe / Muskmelon , Cleome (Spider Flower) , Cosmos , Cucumber , Eggplant , Fig , Four O'Clock , Lemongrass , Lima Beans , Marigold , Marjoram , Morning Glory , Okra , Pole Beans , Pumpkin , Rosemary , Snap Beans (Bush) , Summer Squash , Sunflower , Sweet Corn , Sweet Potato , Tomato , Watermelon , Winter Squash (Butternut) , Zinnia , Zucchini

May is the month the cold band finally crosses its own last frost, while the hot band's own cool-season window is about to close for the summer.

The cold band's own last frost, around May 6, falls inside this month. Direct-sowing and transplanting both open widely here, the biggest single-month jump on this band's own calendar.

About five weeks past the temperate band's own last frost. Most of this band's spring window has closed; the short list above is what's left for crops that plant across the whole warm season rather than in a single spring window.

About eleven weeks past the warm band's own last frost, deep enough into the season that only a single succession crop remains on the list above.

May's own average in the hot band is about 76.5°F (NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals), just over this table's 75°F cool-season ceiling, so the cool-season list empties out this month while the warm-season list holds.

Enter your ZIP for your own exact dates rather than these four representative bands.

Nurseries near these locations

Sources

Full per-crop citations are on each crop's own guide page, linked above. Institutions cited across this page: