The Seeds You Need to Plant in May for a Summer Garden

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:

Companion Planting

Crop Rotation

DIY Soil for Raised Beds & Containers

Vegetables that Grow in Containers

Soil Amendments

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!

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

The Seeds You Need to Plant in May