What Can You Plant in May?

The planting possibilities in May are essentially a sneak peak at what's coming in June. For many of us, May is a month of transition. If you live in a colder climate, you might be finishing up your first cool season of the year and moving into your warm season, which will see you through the summer. If you live in a warmer climate, you'll be finishing up your warm season and moving into your hot season (so soak up these last days that it's enjoyable to be outdoors!).

Transition months mean lots of tending and (here's the fun part) harvesting. Those cool and warm season veggies you planted in the last couple of months are ready to be pulled from the garden by the end of May so that you can make room for plants that thrive in the upcoming season, and that means it'll be time to enjoy the literal fruits of your labor.

Once you've got some room in your garden, it's time to plant! Whether it’s still crisp and cool where you live or already hot and humid, I've got at least 5 plants that you can plant this month to make the most of the upcoming summer season.

NOTE: You’re in a cool climate if you only recently passed or still haven’t passed your last frost date (ex. Chicago), a mild climate if your last frost date was a couple of weeks ago (ex. Nashville), and a warm climate if you’re already gearing up for hot temps (ex. Houston). (Click here to find your last frost date in the US.)

Scroll down to find your climate to learn everything you can plant this month!

What Can You Plant in Warmer Areas in May?

If you live in a warm climate, this is your month to prepare for your upcoming hot season, when the average high will be 85°F (29.4°C) or above. When I say prepare, I mean plant lots of things that can not just tolerate the heat, but that thrive in the heat.

Don't wait until June or July, when your temps are already blazing. You want hot season plants to get established now. When I first started to garden over the summer in Houston, I learned the hard way that if plants weren't already in the garden by May—June at the absolute latest—they struggled to push through the heat of July and August.

Use this month to fill your garden with plants so that you won't have any bare soil by the time the temps are in the 90s. Your garden will suffer most if you have lots of empty space. Plant lots of things now so that your soil is covered and protected when the temps spike and the rain stops.

My top 5 plants to start this month in a warmer climate:

• Cosmos
• Sunflowers
• Tomatillos
• Yard long beans
• Yard long cucumbers

Now let's dive into the best leaves, roots, fruit, and flowers you can plant in May to heat-proof your garden for the summer.

Herbs

If you haven't planted basil yet, I recommend buying a healthy plant from your local nursery so that you can begin harvesting leaves immediately and maximize your enjoyment of this sun-loving herb. Some basil types, like Thai basil, are particularly great at hanging in there in triple-digit temps.

Consider planting perennial herbs (lavender, oregano, sage, thyme, mint, lemon balm, and rosemary) in your garden this month to give them time to establish themselves in the garden before hot weather arrives. I recommend planting these as plants, as well, so you can enjoy them during their most active growing season.

Leafy Greens

Arugula is a fantastic leafy green that will continue producing even in the hottest months. Other heat-tolerant greens include mizuna and mustard greens. If you give these plants some shade as the weather warms up, you'll enjoy just-cut salads well into summer.

Roots

If you have vacation plans this summer, I recommend filling at least one raised bed with nothing but sweet potatoes (tuberous roots) this month. These low-maintenance plants will fill your garden with above-ground leaves that will act as a ground cover to keep moisture and nutrients in your soil—even while you're away.

To start sweet potatoes, buy an organic sweet potato from the grocery store or farmers' market. Simply place it in some compost indoors to let it grow slips that you can then plant outside in about 6 weeks. If it's warm enough outside, you can plant a sweet potato directly in the soil.

It's a little late to plant potatoes (tubers), unless you're growing an early variety that can be ready to harvest in 75 to 90 days. Don't worry—you'll get another chance in the fall!

Fruit

Tomatoes and regular cucumbers struggle in the hot season, but we still have plenty of fruiting plants from more tropical climates that thrive in hot and dry weather.

One of my favorites is yard long beans, which grow on trellises or up fences and love the heat. These things can quite literally grow to be a yard long (though they're best when harvested at about 18 inches). These beans are super fun to grow with kids. If you chop them up, you can use them just like regular green beans.

Another favorite is yard long cucumbers, aka Armenian cucumbers. These guys are a bit different from the regular cucumbers you grow in the warm season, partly because they're technically melons. They can keep on flowering and fruiting even during really high temperatures. Sow seeds for these cukes right along a trellis by the end of this month so your plants will be up and growing before the middle of summer.

A third great option is tomatillos. Tomatoes struggle in really hot climates, but their cousins, tomatillos, aren't nearly as picky when it comes to high temps. They look a lot like tomato plants, but they only need a small trellis or some stakes to support them. I recommend putting tomatillos in by plant, not by seed (make sure to plant at least two). That way, they'll have more time to get established. You'll still be making salsa come harvest time—it'll just be green salsa instead of red.

Lastly, you can add hot peppers and eggplant by plant.

Flowers

Cosmos and zinnias are wonderful flowers to have in the garden throughout the hottest parts of the summer. They're heat- and drought-tolerant and make for pretty little cut flowers! I recommend sprinkling seeds in your native plant or pollinator garden spaces (not in your raised beds). The blooms will bring all the bees and butterflies, plus tons of beneficial insects to help protect your garden from pests.

Sunflowers are another great option. They make a wonderful companion plant for all the other things you're growing this summer. If you don't put anything else in your garden bed, just put a bunch of sunflowers. I love growing teddy bear varieties in my raised beds and then planting the taller sunflowers in my native plant and pollinator garden spaces. Bonus: you can eat the seeds.

Other great flowers to plant this month include angelonia, purple salvia, and marigolds. These flowers will push through the heat of summer and—most importantly—feed our pollinators.

What Can You Plant in Mild Areas in May?

If you're in a mild climate, like mine here in Nashville, Tennessee, then you're past your last frost date and enjoying nice spring temps, though it's warming up fast. You'll enjoy a warm growing season, when your average high temp will be between 65°F (18.3°C) and 84°F (29.4°C), for most, if not all, of summer. So it's time to plant all the plants.

My top 5 plants to start this month in a mild climate:

• Basil
• Eggplant
• Peppers
• Okra
• Zinnias 

Now let's dive into the best leaves, roots, fruit, and flowers you can plant in May.

Herbs

Now that you've passed your last frost date, you can transplant basil started indoors or direct sow basil seeds in the garden. If you're planting seeds, you need to get them in the ground like yesterday. Basil will grow in almost any space in your garden. Spread out the plants about 4 to 6 inches, keep them watered, and you're going to get tons of harvests. We're talking $25 of leaves from each basil plant you grow. No more buying basil leaves from the store for you this summer, okay?

If you want to grow perennial herbs (chives, oregano, sage, thyme, mint, lemon balm, rosemary, and lavender), I recommend buying these herbs from your local nursery. That way, you can begin harvesting from them as soon as possible. They'll explode with growth during the summer months.

Leafy Greens

Arugula is a great green to grow right now. Sow arugula seeds in blank spaces in your garden, and you'll harvest a ton of greens in just 45 days.

If you're expecting at least 45 more days with temps mostly under 84°F (29.4°C), then you can still plant some lettuce by seed. Give your plants some shade so your leaves don't turn bitter as the weather warms. Romaine lettuce and red leaf lettuce tend to tolerate warm weather better than other varieties.

Once your temps rise, stick with greens like arugula, mizuna, and mustard greens.

Roots

You can plant potatoes (tubers) this month if you haven't already. Order seed potatoes online or buy organic potatoes from your farmers' market, and chit them so they're ready to plant ASAP.

Fruit

Now that your soil is nice and warm, you can plant all the quintessential veggies this month (think tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, zucchini, etc.). But if you're expecting a period of time during the summer when your temps will be in the 90s, consider adding some plants that will continue producing in hot weather.

One great option is eggplant. Put these into the garden as plants (that you've bought from the nursery or started indoors), not seeds, to guarantee you'll get a harvest before the end of summer.

Okra also loves it hot—the warmer the soil, the better. If it grows pretty warm in your area in late July/August, okra can be a wonderful plant to have in your garden because it will soak up all that heat and sunlight. Bonus: It grows really tall (up to 10 feet!) and casts shade onto the plants that don't love the high temps. Add okra seedlings, not seeds to your garden. Make sure to give each plant at least one full square foot in the garden to grow to maturity.

A third great option is peppers. If you haven't planted bell peppers in your garden yet, what are you waiting for? The price of these things just keeps going up at the grocery store. If you transplant pepper seedlings into your garden now, you'll have peppers coming out of your ears by August and September.

Your goal is to get these fruiting plants established in your garden at least a month before the temps rise above 90°F (32.2°C)—that's how you ensure you'll have a packed, productive garden during your hotter summer days.

Flowers

Zinnias are the easiest cut flower to grow, ever. You can sow zinnia seeds right in your soil today (assuming the threat of frost has passed). Zinnias will bring so many bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds to your garden. They also act like a trap crop for Japanese beetles (that means those beetles will leave your eggplants alone!). Zinnias are so beautiful and make summer gardening bright and magical!

You can also sow marigolds, strawflowers, and cosmos at the same time.

What Can You Plant in Cooler Areas in May?

For all my friends who live in cold climates, it's finally your time. The threat of frost is lifting. By the end of this month or early June, you'll be frost-free. But even before you pass your last frost date, there are things you can start or plant this month to put into your garden for summer.

My top 5 plants to plant this month in a cooler climate:

• Beans
• Cucumbers
• Nasturtiums
• Peppers 
• Tomatoes 

You'll wait until your last frost has passed to plant these outside, but below, I'll give you some leaves, roots, and fruiting plants options you can also direct sow anytime in May.

Herbs

Start basil by seed indoors so you'll have plants ready to move out as soon as you pass your last frost date. Basil will give you so much production over your summer months.

As long as you have at least 60 days left of nice, cool weather ahead, you can plant cilantro, parsley, and dill. These herbs in the carrot family are frost tolerant, so you can go ahead and plant them as soon as your soil is workable.

Leafy Greens

Plant lots of leafy greens this month for salads. Salad season can be all too short in places that warm up pretty quickly in the May. Direct sow seeds for spinach, arugula, and tons of lettuce. I recommend red leaf lettuce, which gives you loads of harvests and lasts longer into warmer spring weather than other lettuces.

You can also plant larger plants bok choy, kale, cabbage, and Swiss chard this month. These plants will have more time to grow and thrive in your transitional garden if you buy them as transplants from your local nursery or garden center now.

Roots

You can go ahead and plant seed potatoes (tubers) now, before you've passed your last frost date. They'll be nice and protected under the soil if you get one more cold spell. I recommend planting potatoes outside of your raised beds, either in the ground or in a large container or grow bag.

Fruit

This is your month to plant the darling of the vegetable garden, tomatoes. I recommend growing a type that matures and produces fruit quickly since you've got a fairly short growing season through summer. Back when I lived in Chicago, I planted lots of small tomatoes like sungolds and Juliets next to my arch trellis, and I was harvesting bowls and bowls of little fruits by the middle of the summer. Plant tomato seedlings, not seeds, as soon as your threat of frost has passed.

Another favorite of mine when I lived in Chicago was shisito peppers. They'll give you a ton of production, and they love the milder summers up North. Plant seedlings right underneath your tomatoes, and you'll have a huge harvest by mid summer.

Cucumbers can be direct sown after your last frost date. Like tomatoes, they need to grow up a tall trellis and get lots of sunlight. I typically wait a week or two after my last frost date to make sure the soil is nice and warm before I plant my cucumber seeds.

Don't forget bush beans. This is such an easy plant to grow, and you can sow seeds if you have about 5 minutes to spare (after frost). I like to plant them right along the edge of a raised bed, where they hardly take up any room at all. You'll get tons of beans off each and every plant.

Other plants that can be direct sown after your frost window include squash and zucchini. Grow these plants either on the edge of your bed (so you can train their growth over the side) or outside of your raised beds (so you can let them sprawl). You'll get to harvest fruits in just 60 to 65 days, and these plants produce so much for you.

Flowers

May is your month to plant nasturtiums. I love these flowers. The plants are so productive and beautiful. I love to grow trailing nasturtiums and let them cascade over the side of a raised bed. You can harvest the leaves, flowers, and even seeds (all edible!). Even if you're not interested in eating any plant parts, nasturtiums are a great flower to grow for organic pest control. The flowers distract certain pests so they stay off your peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers.

This month you can also direct sow seeds for flowers like calendula and chamomile, which prefer cooler weather. Once you've passed your last frost date, you can direct sow flowers like zinnias, marigolds, strawflowers, and cosmos.

What Are the Best Flowers to Plant in May?

Zinnias, calendula, strawflowers, nasturtiums, and marigolds can be planted outdoors by seed once your final threat of frost has passed.

If you're in a warmer climate, cosmos, petunias, and begonias planted now will continue to thrive through your hot season.

Time to Plant Your Summer Garden!

No matter what you plant, give your seeds a really good watering in and keep them moist in the first 7 to 10 days after sowing to prevent them from drying out.

If you're still getting your kitchen garden set up, learn more through Gardenary's many resources:

• Get started with my book, Kitchen Garden Revival.
• Another great resource to help you know what to plant when in your area is the nearest garden consultant to you. Find a Garden Consultant near you in our Directory. Follow them on social media or sign up for their newsletter for an easy way to know what's possible to grow in your area each month.
• Sign up for our upcoming workshop to learn more about how to make the most of this season in the garden.

Whatever you grow in your garden, don't grow alone! We're here to help you have confidence and find success in the garden every step of the way, rain or shine.

Here's to maximizing your growing time this May for a wonderful transition into the next season!

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