Seeds to plant in May for summer crops in Zones 3 – 10. If you’ve been following my series on What to Plant then you saw the March and April Guides. So you should have some beautiful veggies, fruits and herbs in your spring garden. Here in Phoenix, zone 10, I have summer and winter squash, watermelon, eggplant, peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes (probably too many tomatoes) all springing up in the garden.
The Seeds You Need to Plant in May
Remember for planning your garden you should know the planting zone that your area is in. You can do that via your zip code here.
I’ve divided the seeds to plant in May by zones for 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 – so just scroll down to find your zone. I’ve also included links for seeds that do well in your particular zone, when I can.
I grow plants for many reasons: to please my eye or to please my soul, to challenge the elements or to challenge my patience, for novelty or for nostalgia, but mostly for the joy in seeing them grow. ~ David Hobson
You may find these posts helpful for your spring and summer gardens:
DIY Soil for Raised Beds & Containers
Vegetables that Grow in Containers
Happy Planting!
What to Plant in May Zones 3 & 4
My friends up north are finally starting to warm up and are ready for planting their garden! Bur remember to sow after the last frost.
Check out Seeds Now for Zone 3 and Zone 4 Organic, Non-Gmo Seeds
- Beans (lima)
- Beans (snap)
- Beets
- Broccoli
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cantaloupe
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Celery (after the 15th is better)
- Chard (early in the month)
- Cucumbers
- Kale
- Lettuce, head
- Lettuce, leaf (early in the month is best)
- Parsnips
- Peas
- Potatoes, white
- Pumpkins (mid to late in the month)
- Radish
- Squash, both summer & winter
- Tomatoes
- Watermelon
A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness;
it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust. ~Gertrude Jekyll
What to Plant in May Zones 5 & 6
Check out Seeds Now for Zone 5 and Zone 6 Organic, Non-Gmo Seeds
- Beans (lima)
- Beans (snap)
- Cantaloupes
- Corn, sweet
- Cucumbers
- Eggplants
- Lettuce, head and leaf
- Okra
- Peppers
- Potatoes, sweet
- Pumpkins
- Squash, summer and winter
- Tomatoes
- Watermelons
What to Plant in May Zones – 7 & 8
Check out Seeds Now for Zone 7 and Zone 8 Organic, Non-Gmo Seeds
- Beans (lima)
- Beans (snap) – very early in May
- Corn, sweet
- Cucumbers
- Eggplants
- Okra
- Peppers
- Potatoes, sweet
- Pumpkins
- Squash, summer and winter
- Watermelons, but early in the month if you’re doing seeds
Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back
into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace. ~May Sarton
What to Plant in May Zones – 9 & 10
Check out Seeds Now for Zone 9 and Zone 10 Organic, Non-Gmo Seeds
Because of the early heat of zones 9 and 10, there are not a lot of seeds that can be planted in May. You may want to consider starting with transplants.
- Beans, lima
- Cantaloupe
- Cucumber – consider the Armenian variety that does very well in heat.
- Eggplant
- Jicama
- Okra
- Peppers
- Potatoes, sweet
- Pumpkin
- Squash, winter and summer
- Tomatillo
- Watermelon
Well there you have it. Do you feel ready to get your hands in the soil and start planting?
Need more gardening advice? Check out some of my other posts!
- Marigolds in the Vegetable Garden
- Easy to Grow Vegetables
- Vegetables that Do Great in Pots
- Advice for the New Gardener
The single greatest lesson the garden teaches is that our relationship to the planet need not be zero-sum, and that as long as the sun still shines and people still can plan and plant, think and do, we can, if we bother to try, find ways to provide for ourselves without diminishing the world. ~Michael Pollan
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