In May, life bursts forth in the vegetable garden. The month of May is the perfect time to start or continue your gardening journey. The Ice Saints are approaching or have just passed, the soil is warmed up, and you can sow a lot directly outdoors in May and transplant young seedlings to their final spot. Leafy greens, root vegetables, brassicas, beans, pumpkins… May is the month to fill your garden.

In this vegetable garden calendar for May, you can see at a glance what you can sow, plant, harvest, and use from your pantry. A handy practical guide for your vegetable garden in May.

Legend
🏠 Indoors · 🪟 Greenhouse/cold frame · 🪏 Outdoors in open ground

• 🪏 Endive – summer crop, beautiful heads for the summer.
• 🪏 Arugula – regular crop, germinates quickly in the warmed May soil.
• 🪟🪏 (Celery) – summer crop, sow in greenhouse and transplant later.
• 🪏 Lettuce – summer crop,
• sow generously now or transplant seedlings. Note: in very hot weather, lettuce bolts more quickly.
• 🪏 Spinach – summer crop, preferably choose heat-tolerant varieties.
• 🪏 Swiss chard – productive leafy green for the entire summer.

Tip: sow leafy greens in May in small batches every 1 to 2 weeks. This ensures continuous harvesting and prevents plants from bolting too quickly. Some leafy greens can also be left to grow longer for a larger harvest.

• 🪏 Kale – autumn crop, sow now for harvest in the cold months.
• 🪏 Broccoli – summer crop, sow in pots or in situ and transplant later.
• 🪟 Cauliflower – summer crop in greenhouse.
• 🪟 Kohlrabi – summer crop, pre-sow and transplant while young.
• 🪏 Turnip – sow directly in situ, grows quickly.
• 🪏 Radish – summer and autumn crop, ideal between slower-growing crops.
• 🪏 Savoy cabbage – late crop, sturdy heads for the winter.
• 🪏 Brussels sprouts – late crop, sow now for sprouts in the winter.
• 🏠 Garden cress – super-fast microgreen on the windowsill.

In May, you can raise vegetable seedlings from seeds for an early start in the vegetable garden.

• 🏠🪟 Pickling cucumber – for greenhouse and summer cultivation, still great to sow in May.
• 🪏 Zucchini – late cultivation, sow directly outdoors or pre-cultivate in pots for a while.
• 🪟🪏 Cucumber – pre-cultivation and open ground, greenhouse varieties and outdoor varieties.
• 🪟🪏 Corn – pre-cultivate or sow directly in the open ground.
• 🪟🪏 Pumpkin – pre-cultivation and open ground, loves a warm, rich spot.

Note: young plants and seedlings of vegetables such as zucchini, pumpkin, corn, and cucumber are sensitive to cold wind and night frost. Only plant them outdoors when the risk of frost has passed.

• 🪟🪏 French beans / green beans – sow in pots in a greenhouse or directly outdoors (see cultivation method).
• 🪏 Sugar snap peas – sow directly in situ.
• 🪟🪏 Runner beans – pre-sow in a greenhouse or sow directly after the Ice Saints.

Tip: Note: mice can sometimes eat the seeds of legumes. Check regularly and take measures if necessary to protect young plants and seeds from mice.

• 🪏 Parsnip – normal cultivation, always sow directly in situ.
• 🪏 Beetroot – summer cultivation, sow in rows or clusters.
• 🪏 Onion – spring onion or pickling onions directly in the open ground.
• 🪏 Carrot – late cultivation and winter carrots, sow now for harvest in autumn/winter.
• 🪏 Potato – late varieties can still be planted now.

Tip: Sow root vegetables like carrots and parsnips at different times to stagger the harvest and enjoy fresh vegetables for longer.

• 🏠🪟🪏 Basil – indoors, in a greenhouse, or outdoors in a pot in a warm spot.
• 🏠🪟🪏 Chives – sow or divide, grows well in open ground or in a pot.
• 🪏 Dill – sow outdoors, great for attracting bees.
• 🪏 Tarragon – sow or plant outdoors in a warm, sheltered spot.
• 🏠🪟🪏 Chervil – indoors, in a greenhouse, or outdoors in a spot that isn't too hot.
• 🏠🪟🪏 Coriander – in a pot or open ground, does not like heat; May is ideal.
• 🪏 Mint – plant outdoors, preferably in a pot to limit spreading.
• 🪏 Parsley – summer cultivation, slow to germinate but yields for a long time.
• 🏠🪟🪏 Rosemary – perennial herb, in a pot or in the open ground.
• 🪏 Sage – sun-loving, perfect in a herb garden.
• 🏠🪟🪏 Thyme – heat- and drought-loving classic.

Did you miss it in April? No worries: in May you can still plant strawberries and small fruit in pots, especially in cooler regions.

🍓 Strawberry plants

• New strawberry plants can still easily go into the ground.
• Plant them in a sunny spot and give them extra water at the start.

🍇 Small fruit in pots

• Raspberries, blackberries, and currant bushes in containers can still be planted.
• Provide support where necessary and mulch the base to prevent drying out. A layer of organic material, such as wood chips or leaves, not only protects against drying out but also stimulates soil life, which is essential for a healthy garden.

🍎 Fruit trees in pots

• Fruit trees can still be planted out, but pay close attention to watering and the attachment of the root ball.

In May, you can harvest the following crops. It is amazing what you can already get fresh from the garden in May. While many summer crops have only just been sown, the winter and early crops are now providing plenty of vegetables: tender leaves, young onions, super early carrots, and peas.

Home-grown produce from your own garden is often fresher and tastier than products you buy in the store, because supermarket vegetables are usually grown for quick sales and longer shelf life.

• 🪏 Endive – spring crop, young heads are the most tender.
• 🪏 Leek – winter and very early leeks that are ready now.
• 🪏 Arugula – standard crop, harvest regularly to prevent bolting.
• 🏠🪟🪏 Lettuce – winter/overwintered and early spring lettuce varieties.
• 🪏 Spinach – early, spring, and summer crops (young leaves are the tastiest).
• 🪏 Swiss chard – the first large leaves can be broken off.

• 🪟 Red beet – from greenhouse, very early crop.
• 🪏 Spring onion – winter crop, beautifully tender now.
• 🪏 Onion – sets and winter-sown onions can already provide the first harvest.
• 🪟 Carrot – super early carrots from greenhouse or tunnel.
• 🪟 Cauliflower – overwintered crop, the first cauliflowers of the year.
• 🪏 Kohlrabi – early crop, harvest when they reach tennis ball size.
• 🪟🪏 Radish – under glass and outdoors, perfectly crisp in May.
• 🏠 Garden cress – on the windowsill; multiple rounds possible per month.

• 🪏 Peas – pre-grown plants often provide the first pods.
• 🪏 Snow peas – young, sweet pods from early crops.
• 🪏 Fava beans – very early crops can already start producing.

• 🪏 Rosemary – perennial, now in full growth.
• 🪏 Chives – both fresh stems and flowers are edible.
• 🪏 Mint, thyme, chervil, dill, coriander, sage, basil – depending on your crop, already plenty to snip now.

In addition to the first fresh harvest, in May you can still draw from your winter supply. Fresh from the garden always comes first, but preserved and frozen vegetables are ideal for completing meals.

• Leaf vegetables: still plenty in the cold frame, greenhouse, or on the windowsill (such as lamb's lettuce and late leafy greens).
• Cabbage vegetables: cabbages are often still available in the garden.
• Potatoes – storage potatoes from the cellar or shed.
• Carrots – fresh from storage, freezer, or sterilized in jars.

• Peas – sterilized or from the freezer.
• Green beans – sterilized.
• Sugar snap peas – sterilized.
• Broad beans – sterilized.
• Gherkins – preserved.
• Zucchini – preserved or from the freezer.
• Cucumber – preserved.
• Corn – from the freezer.
• Bell pepper and chili pepper – dried, frozen, or in oil.
• Pumpkin – cubes from the freezer.
• Tomato – dried, in oil, or sterilized in a jar.
• Herbs – mint, tarragon, chives, dill, cilantro, basil, thyme, chervil, and sage as dried flavorings.

With everything you can harvest and get from your supply in May, you can easily make complete meals:

• Spring soups with leeks, spinach, spring onions, and herbs.
• Lukewarm salads with baby potatoes, endive, arugula, and peas.
• Casseroles with storage potatoes, carrots, beetroot, and preserved tomatoes.
• Pastas and grains with spinach, chard, and a mix of dried herbs.

Cooking with your own harvest also provides a lot of pleasure and pure vegetable garden joy.

You can also watch a video here with a tour by Ruud & Merel in their vegetable garden. Always fun to compare :)

Tomato, bell pepper, chili pepper, cucumber, zucchini, and pumpkin really do not like the cold. Keep the plants nice and warm indoors until they are ready to go out, and only plant them outside once the risk of night frost has passed (around mid-May, depending on your region).

In May, carrots and beets grow quickly. Remove plants that are too close together so the remaining ones have room to develop. You can often eat the thinned-out minis as microgreens.

Cabbage vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts are best protected in May with insect netting. Insect netting helps against various harmful insects, so you avoid damaged roots and eaten leaves later in the season.

Place bamboo stakes, mesh, or netting immediately when sowing or planting out. That way, green beans, runner beans, and sugar snap peas can grow upwards without stress.

In warmer, dry May periods, a layer of straw, grass clippings (thin), or leaf mulch around your plants is worth its weight in gold. The soil dries out less quickly and you don't have to water as often.

Slugs are already very active in May. Work with slug collars, copper rings, beer traps, coarse mulch, and 'trap crops' such as lettuce at the edge of your beds to limit the damage.

In May, days can already be quite warm. During dry spells, provide a thorough soaking 1–2 times per week instead of a little bit every day. The roots will then search deeper for moisture and your plants will become stronger.

In May, there is a lot to plant. Use mixed cultivation: for example, carrots with lettuce in between, or cabbage with dill and cilantro as "pest-confusing" herbs. This allows you to utilize your space optimally. The idea of the vegetable garden is actually to make clever combinations of plants that promote biodiversity and naturally repel pests.

Radishes, lettuce, spinach, and chard are at their best when they are still young. By harvesting small and regularly, you also immediately make room for new sowing beds.

In May, a lot goes into the ground at once. A simple sketch or cultivation plan with dates, varieties, and locations will help you later with the harvest and when planning your rotation for next year.

Yes, absolutely. May is even a great starting month for many crops. You can still sow things like:

• Lettuce, endive, arugula, spinach, chard
• Carrots, beetroot, parsnips
• Green beans, runner beans, sugar snap peas
• Zucchini, pumpkin, corn, cucumber

With some fast-growing leafy greens and well-chosen varieties, you will still harvest well on time.

The Ice Saints (mid-May) serve as a guideline: by the end of May, the risk of night frost is usually small. At the end of May, the chance of frost is usually over, making this the right moment to plant young plants or seeds outside. However, it remains nature – some years there can still be a chilly night locally. So keep following the weather forecast and keep fleece covers or an emergency solution on hand.

You can sometimes still sow tomatoes in May if you have a warm greenhouse or choose very early/compact varieties, but for bell peppers and chili peppers, it is actually too late to start from seed. If you are too late with sowing, you can buy tomato plants and transplant them after the Ice Saints. For bell peppers and chili peppers, it is better to buy ready-made plants and transplant them after the Ice Saints.

That depends on your soil and the weather, but as a rule of thumb:

• Give generous amounts of water 1–2 times a week during dry spells, rather than a little bit every day.
• Seedlings and young plants need attention more often than well-rooted plants.
• Water preferably in the morning or evening, not in the full midday sun.

Start early, because slugs are already busy in May:

• Place slug collars or copper rings around vulnerable plants (lettuce, zucchini, pumpkin).
• Collect slugs manually in the evening or after rainfall.
• Use barriers such as sharp sand, shells, or coarse mulch.
• Lure them away with "trap crops" like a few lettuce plants at the edge of your bed.