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]()
Tomato Seeds - Salad - Better Boy Plus Hybrid
70 Days to maturity (from transplant). Solanum lycoperscium. Better Boy Tomato Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, hybrid, heat tolerant, indeterminate, salad tomato. Suitable for growing in garden plots, raised beds, and greenhouses....
Squash Seeds - Winter - Vegetable Spaghetti
80-100 days. Vegetable Spaghetti Winter Squash Seeds. Cucurbita pepo. Non-GMO. Open Pollinated. Grow your own pasta replacement with Vegetable Spaghetti Winter squash seeds. This spaghetti squash is ready in just...
Nasturtium Seeds - Jewel Mix
54-63 Days to maturity. Tropaeolum majus. Organic Nasturtium Jewel Mix Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, heirloom. Jewel Mix nasturtium is brilliant, easy to grow from seed, and perfectly suited for many dry...
Tomato Seeds - Paste - San Marzano Indeterminate
85 Days to maturity (from transplant). Solanum lycoperscium. San Marzano (Indeterminate) Tomato Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, open-pollinated, heirloom, indeterminate, paste tomato. Often compared to the famous Roma tomato in terms of...
Tomato Seeds - Salad - Celebrity Plus Hybrid
72 Days to maturity (from transplant). Solanum lycoperscium. Celebrity Plus Hybrid Tomato Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, hybrid, AAS winner, semi-determinate, salad tomato. Suitable for growing in garden plots, raised beds, and...
Melon Seeds - Cantaloupe - Hales Best Jumbo (Organic)
85-110 Days to maturity. Cucumis melo. Hale's Best Jumbo Cantaloupe Melon Seeds. A non-GMO, annual, heirloom, open-pollinated, organic, heat-tolerant, drought-tolerant Cantaloupe Melon. Suitable for growing in garden plots, raised beds,...
Chamomile Seeds - German
Non-GMO, Heirloom German Chamomile Herb Garden Seed from True Leaf Market. Matricaria chamomilla. German Chamomile plants originated in Western Asia and were later cultivated in Europe, where chamomile has been...
Bean Seeds - Bush - Contender
50-65 Days to maturity. Phaseolus vulgaris. Contender Bush Bean Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, open-pollinated, heirloom, high yielding, heat tolerant, bush, snap, stringless bean. Suitable for growing in containers, garden plots, raised...
Borage Herb Seeds
60-70 Days. Borage Culinary Herb Seeds. Borago officinalis. Non-GMO. Heirloom. Borage seeds are grown as both an indoor culinary herb and an open-pollinated garden herb. Non-GMO Borage seeds produce some...
Cucumber Seeds - Straight Eight
55-60 days. Straight Eight Cucumber Seeds. Cucumis sativus. Non-GMO. Heirloom. Nearly a century-old American heirloom, the Straight Eight is an award-winning slicing cucumber known for its uniformly straight 8 inch...
Zinnia Seeds - California Giant Mix
75-90 Days to maturity. Zinnia elegans. California Giant Mixture Zinnia Seeds. Non-GMO, organic, annual. The “king of summer annuals" California Giant Mix seeds are the largest variety of Zinnias ever,...
Common Thyme Seeds (Organic)
Certified Organic. Non-GMO. Perennial. 85 days. Non-GMO, Heirloom Organic Common Thyme Herb Garden Seed from True Leaf Market. Genus Thymus. Common Thyme is a cold hardy perennial that grows as...
Tomato Seeds - Salad - Early Girl Hybrid
60 Days to maturity (from transplant). Solanum lycoperscium. Early Girl Hybrid Tomato Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, hybrid, heat tolerant, drought tolerant, indeterminate, salad. Suitable for growing in garden plots, raised beds,...
Petunia Seeds - Easy Wave Series (pelleted)
98-105 Days to maturity. Petunia x hybrida. Easy Wave Series Petunia Seeds. Non-GMO, hybrid, Premium Quality Seeds, annual. Easy Wave Series petunia seeds grow one of summer's most famous and...
Basil Seeds - Genovese
60-90 days. Genovese basil seeds. Ocimum basilicum. Non-GMO. Open Pollinated. Genovese is a sweet basil heirloom native to the Italian provinces of Genoa, Savona, and Imperia; while locals are decided...
Cucumber Seeds - Tendergreen Burpless
65 Days to maturity. Cucumis sativus. Tendergreen Burpless Cucumber Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, open-pollinated, heirloom, monoecious, burpless, slicing cucumber. Suitable for growing in fields, containers (with support), garden plots, raised beds,...
Sunflower Seeds - Mammoth Grey Stripe
90-110 Days to maturity. Helianthus annuus. Mammoth Grey Stripe Sunflower Seeds: Non-GMO. Open Pollinated. Ornamental. Annual. Mammoth sunflower seeds grow one of the tallest, brightest, and most breathtaking flowers in...
Bean Seeds - Pole - Kentucky Blue
50-75 Days to maturity. Phaseolus vulgaris. Kentucky Blue Bean Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, open-pollinated, high-yielding, AAS Winner, drought and heat tolerant, high-yielding, pole, snap string bean. Suitable for growing in containers,...
Sage Seeds - Broad Leaved
Salvia officinalis Perennial. 75 days. Non-GMO, Heirloom, Open Pollinated Broad Leaved Sage Herb Garden Seed from True Leaf Market. Salvia officinalis. Sage plants are warm perennials native to the Meditteranean....
Begonia Seeds - Tuberous - Nonstop Series (Pelleted)
119-133 Days to maturity. Begonia x tuberhybrida. Nonstop Series Tuberous Begonia Seeds. Non-GMO, hybrid, perennial, pelleted. Nonstop Series pelleted seeds promise exotic, easygoing 2-3-inch, mostly double blooms for hot, humid...
Cucumber Seeds - Muncher
65-70 days. Muncher Cucumber Seeds. Cucumis sativus. Non-GMO. Heirloom. One of the most reliably productive and tolerant grows on the farm or in the home garden, Muncher cucumber has become...
Corn Seeds - Sweet - Ambrosia Hybrid
80-90 Days to maturity. Zea mays. Ambrosia Hybrid Corn Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, hybrid, Sweet Corn. Suitable for growing in garden plots or raised beds. Corn tolerates heat and drought-prone regions....
Sage Seeds - Broad Leaved (Organic)
Salvia officinalis. Certified Organic. Perennial. 75 days. Non-GMO, Heirloom, Open Pollinated Organic Broad Leaved Sage Herb Garden Seed from True Leaf Market. Salvia officinalis. Sage plants are warm evergreens that...
Bean Seeds - Bush - BeSweet Edamame Soybean
75-105 Days to maturity. Glycine max. BeSweet Edamame Bean Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, open-pollinated, bush, shell, soybean, high-yielding, Asian bean. Suitable for growing in containers, garden plots, raised beds, and greenhouses....
Squash Seeds - Winter - Waltham Butternut (Organic)
110 days to maturity. Cucurbita moschata. Organic Waltham Butternut Winter Squash Seeds. Non-GMO, annual, heirloom, open-pollinated, AAS winner. Suitable for growing in fields, garden plots, raised beds, and containers. The...
Thyme Seeds - Common
2nd year maturity. Common Thyme Culinary Herb Seeds. Thymus vulgaris. Non-GMO. Popularly known as English thyme to differentiate between the many varieties, Common thyme seeds are one of the hardiest,...
Squash Seeds - Winter - Vegetable Spaghetti (Organic)
80-100 days. Organic Vegetable Spaghetti Winter Squash Seeds. Cucurbita pepo. Non-GMO. Open Pollinated. Grow your own pasta replacement with Organic Vegetable Spaghetti Winter squash seeds. This spaghetti squash is ready...
Echinacea - Purple Coneflower Seeds
2nd Year maturity. Echinacea purpurea. Purple Coneflower Seeds. Non-GMO, Heirloom, Perennial. Echinacea grows as a warm-season perennial and flowering herb native to Eastern North America. These wildflowers are popular, as...
Catnip Seeds
Up to 85 days. Foliage is greenish-gray with small blue flowers. Dried leaves can be used for tea and as a stimulant for cats. Small bilabiate blooms can be white,...
Tomato Seeds - Slicing - Cherokee Purple
80-90 Days to maturity (from transplant). Solanum lycopersicum. Cherokee Purple Tomato Seeds. Non-GMO, warm-season annual, open-pollinated, heirloom, heat-tolerant, indeterminate, slicing tomato. Suitable for growing in garden plots, raised beds, greenhouses....
Cucumber Seeds - Diva Hybrid
58 days. The Diva Hybrid cucumber is an early variety of cucumber that is sweet and tender. The Diva Hybrid is dark and semi glossy, and grows to be between...
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