May is the month when the gardening season shifts into high gear across most of the country. In cold-winter zones, the last frost is finally behind us, and it's time to get warm-season crops in the ground. In mild-winter zones, the garden is already humming, and the focus turns to keeping up with rapid spring growth. And in the warmest zones, the race is on to get heat-lovers established before summer temperatures take over. Whatever your zone, May is a month of momentum.
Zones 1-7a: May is the main planting kickoff in cold-winter zones, when gardens finally move from starts and prep into full outdoor action. Early May often still favors hardy transplants and direct-sown cool-season crops, while mid-to-late May is when many areas can safely set out warm-season plants as frost risk drops. Keep hardening off seedlings, use row cover if nights run cold, and focus on steady watering and early weed control so young plants establish quickly.
Zones 7b-9a: May is prime warm-season planting time in mild-winter zones, with soil temperatures rising and growth accelerating. This is the month to get main-season crops established outdoors, keep up with succession sowing, and set up supports before vines and tall plants take off. Watch moisture as days warm, mulch to hold soil moisture, and keep an eye out for the first big flush of pests as the garden hits its stride.
Zones 9b-12: May marks the shift into early summer conditions in the warm-winter zones, and gardens respond fast with rapid growth. Warm-season crops should be planted and growing strongly now, and succession sowing keeps harvests coming even as temperatures climb. Stay ahead of heat stress by mulching, watering consistently, and planting in the coolest part of the day - and in the hottest areas, begin planning for shade cloth and other summer protection.
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![Legend: H for Heirloom, O for Organic, A for AAS Winner, F for staff favorites]()
Kohlrabi Seeds - Purple Vienna
Non-GMO, Heirloom Purple Vienna seeds produce kohlrabi with purple bulbs and a light green interior. The flavor is mild, resembling the taste of a turnip. This unusual looking vegetable comes...
Beet Seeds - Ruby Queen
52 days. The Ruby Queen beet is a variety that does very well in poor soils. It produces uniform, round globes and short tops. The leaves grow to be green...
Petunia Seeds - Madness Series (pelleted)
98-105 Days to maturity. Petunia x hybrida. Pelleted Madness Series Petunia Seeds. Non-GMO, hybrid, Premium Quality Seeds, annual. Madness Series petunia seeds are an easy way to splash some early-blooming...
Beet Seeds - Early Wonder Tall Top
35-60 days. The Early Wonder Tall Top is an easy to grow beet that can be harvested as early as thirty five days after planting, and thrives in colder weather....
Petunia Seeds - Daddy Series (Pelleted)
98-105 days. Daddy Series petunia seeds grow an adorable, compact, and vibrant addition to any home, office, or garden. Daddy Series petunias are durable and easy to grow from seed,...
Basil - Dark Opal - Microgreens Seeds
18-30+ days. This variety of purple basil seeds has a beautiful dark color, earning its name of Dark Opal. They are an ideal heirloom microgreens seed that growing consistently and...
Thai Basil Seeds - Siam Queen
Non-GMO, Heirloom Siam Queen Thai Basil Herb Seed from True Leaf Market. Ocimum basilicum. As basil has many different types, Siam Queen Thai Basil is a sweet cultivar that originated...
Cabbage Seeds - Mammoth Red Rock
90 days. The Mammoth Red Rock cabbage has a beautiful reddish-purple tone to its heads, which have a subtle, delicate, and sweet flavor. It is a hardy crop, and grows...
Statice Seeds - QIS Series
91-105 Days to maturity. Limonium sinuatum. Statice QIS Series Seeds. Non-GMO, Annual. QIS Series statice is easy to grow from seed and a favorite for fresh-cut arrangements, baskets, and bouquets....
Pepper - Sweet - Lilac Bell
70-80 Days to maturity (from transplant). Capsicum annuum. Lilac Bell Pepper Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, open-pollinated, heirloom, sweet pepper with no heat. 0 Scoville Heat Units. Resistant to Tobacco Mosaic Virus....
Lettuce Seeds - Leaf - Red Sails
Red Sails Leaf Lettuce is ready in 45 days. An AAS winner, these non-GMO Red Sails seeds grow into green leaves of lettuce with red tips that are ready to...
Carrot Seeds - Purple
65-70 days. Purple carrot Seeds. Daucus carota subsp. sativus. Non-GMO. Heirloom. The Purple Carrot is unique in that it appears quite differently when it is sliced than when it is...
Radish Seeds - Purple Plum
Non-GMO, Heirloom Purple Plum Radish Seeds. 25-30 days. Bright purple skin, firm white flesh, crisp, sweet and mild all season, never pithy of hot, hardy and adaptable. Download Free Vegetable...
Wildflower Seeds - Bee Mix
50-365 Days to maturity. Bee Friendly Wildflower Seeds Mix. A non-GMO mix of annuals and perennial bee-friendly wildflowers for zones 3-9. The Bee Friendly Wildflower Mix grows some of the...
Impatiens Seeds - Accent Series
70-77 Days to maturity. Impatiens walleriana. Accent Series Impatiens Seeds. Non-GMO, hybrid, annual. Premium Quality Seeds. Accent Series seeds deliver the country's most popularly grown and undisputed summertime bloom. Impatiens...
Shiso Herb Seeds (Perilla) - Korean
70 days to maturity. Perilla frutescens var. frutescens. Korean Shiso Herb Seeds (Perilla). Warm season annual. Perilla is a lovely Korean herb that is a vivid green on the top...
Wild Bergamot Seeds - Bee Balm
65 Days to maturity. Monarda fistulosa. Bee Balm Wild Bergamot Seeds. Non-GMO, perennial, open-pollinated, heirloom. Suitable for growing in garden plots, raised beds, borders, and pollinator gardens. A native wildflower...
Lettuce Seeds - Leaf - Ruby Red
Non-GMO Ruby Red Leaf Lettuce is ready in 35-45 days. Lettuce forms compact plants with loose, crumpled reddish-green leaves. Ruby Red is the darkest red of all red lettuces, won't...
Rutabaga Seeds - American Purple Top
90 days. Brassica napus var. napobrassica. American Purple Top Rutabaga Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, heirloom, open-pollinated. This crop is suitable for garden plots, fields, raised beds, and containers. American Purple Top...
Lettuce Seeds - Romaine - Freckles
50-70 days. These non-GMO Freckles lettuce seeds grow into green leaves of lettuce with red spots that are ready to harvest in 50 to 70 days. The Freckles thrives in...
Petunia Seeds - Double Cascade Series (Pelleted)
98-105 Days to maturity. Petunia x hybrida. Pelleted Double Cascade Series Petunia Seeds. Non-GMO, hybrid, Premium Quality Seeds, annual. Growing Double Cascade Series seeds promise to excite your garden with...
Bean Seeds - Bush - Royal Burgundy
50-65 Days to maturity. Phaseolus vulgaris. Royal Burgundy Bush Bean Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, open-pollinated, heirloom, high-yielding, bush, snap bean. Suitable for growing in containers, garden plots, raised beds, and greenhouses....
Mixed Greens Seeds - Mesclun Mix - Organic
A succulent blend of gourmet greens that will satisfy your pallet and is extremely healthy. This mesclun blend is the type normally served in fine restaurants, but you can grow...
Radish - China Rose (Organic) - Sprouting Seeds
5-6 Days to Harvest. Raphanus sativus. Organic China Rose Radish Sprouting Seeds. Organic. Non-GMO. Sprouting. High Germination. Fresh, zesty, and spicy non-GMO Organic China Rose radish sprouts are a colorful...
Cabbage Seeds - Red Acre (Organic)
90-110 days. Organic Red Acre Cabbage Seeds. Brassica oleracea var. capitata. Non-GMO. Heirloom. Nearly a century old and still one of the most reliable performers in the garden, Red Acre...
Hyssop Seeds
Non-GMO, Heirloom Hyssop Herb Garden Seed from True Leaf Market. Hyssopus officinalis. Hyssop is a flowering perennial herb native to regions in the Middle East. Shrub-like common Hyssop plants are...
Shiso Herb Seeds (Perilla) - Purple (Red)
Non-GMO, Heirloom Purple Shiso Perilla Herb Garden Seed from True Leaf Market. AKA: Red Shiso. Perilla frutescens var. crispa. Purple Shiso is a warm annual native to India and China....
Red Cabbage Microgreens Seeds
Red Cabbage Microgreens Seeds. Fast and easy to grow cabbage micro greens seeds with whitish stems and green cotyledons with red to purple highlights. Premium seeds with high germination rates....
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