What to sow and plant in May
These are the jobs that come round in May for a garden in the middle of England. If you garden in Cornwall you are roughly a fortnight ahead of this list; in the Highlands you are up to ten weeks behind it, and following a national calendar is how seedlings get killed by a frost that was always going to come.
Sow indoors or under cover
Sow outdoors
- Beetroot
- Broad Bean (Spring-sown)
- Broccoli (Calabrese)
- Brussels sprouts
- Carrot
- Cauliflower (summer)
- Chard
- Coriander
- Courgette
- Cucumber (outdoor / ridge)
- French Bean (Climbing)
- Kale
- Leek
- Lettuce
- Parsley (flat-leaf)
- Parsnip
- Pea
- Pumpkin
- Purple sprouting broccoli
- Radish
- Runner Bean
- Spinach
- Spring Onion
- Sweetcorn
Ready to harvest
- Asparagus
- Beetroot
- Carrot
- Chard
- Garlic
- Lettuce
- Parsley (flat-leaf)
- Purple sprouting broccoli
- Radish
- Rhubarb
- Spinach
- Spring Onion
Plant
Vegetables and fruit to plant out
- Aubergine
- Beetroot
- Broad Bean (Spring-sown)
- Broccoli (Calabrese)
- Brussels sprouts
- Cabbage (summer)
- Cauliflower (summer)
- Chard
- Chilli pepper
- Coriander
- Courgette
- French Bean (Climbing)
- Kale
- Leek
- Lettuce
- Parsley (flat-leaf)
- Potato (Maincrop)
- Pumpkin
- Purple sprouting broccoli
- Runner Bean
- Spring Onion
- Sweet pepper
- Sweetcorn
- Tomato
Trees, shrubs, bulbs and perennials
- Buddleja (Butterfly Bush)
- Dahlia
- Fuchsia (Hardy)
- Lavender (English)
- Peony (Herbaceous)
- Sunflower (annual)
- Sweet pea
Prune
How much May shifts where you live
| Where you are | Average last frost | Average first frost | Growing season |
|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | late March | early December | 260 days |
| South Coast and Channel | late March | late November | 240 days |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | late March | late November | 250 days |
| South East and Home Counties | mid April | early November | 215 days |
| East Anglia | mid April | late October | 195 days |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | late April | late October | 190 days |
| Wales and West Coast | mid April | mid November | 210 days |
| Northern England | early May | late October | 175 days |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | early May | mid October | 165 days |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | late May | late September | 120 days |
| Northern Ireland | mid April | early November | 205 days |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | mid March | early December | 250 days |