Zone 6 · May · 4 weeks after last frost
What to plant in May in Zone 6
Typical last frost in zone 6 is around Apr 15, and first frost around Oct 15. The main planting month across most of the northern hemisphere. Cold zones finally pass their last frost; warm zones are already moving into maintenance.
Start indoors this month
Seed trays indoors, under a light or in the brightest window you have. These are slow crops that need a head start on the season.
Nothing in our dataset needs an indoor start this month in this zone.
Set out into the final container
Transplants go into the pot they will finish in. Hardening them off for four to five days first prevents most transplant shock.
- Cherry Tomato — window Apr 22 – May 2 (5 gal, 12" deep)
- Basil — window Apr 29 – May 9 (2 gal, 8" deep)
- Bush Cucumber — window Apr 22 – May 2 (5 gal, 12" deep)
- Zucchini — window Apr 22 – May 2 (7 gal, 14" deep)
- Hot Pepper — window Apr 29 – May 9 (3 gal, 12" deep)
Direct sow
Sow straight into the final pot. These crops resent root disturbance, and transplanting them usually costs more time than it saves.
- Bush Bean — window Apr 22 – May 13 (3 gal, 9" deep)
- Bush Cucumber — window Apr 22 – May 13 (5 gal, 12" deep)
- Zucchini — window Apr 22 – May 13 (7 gal, 14" deep)
Sow for autumn
A second sowing timed backwards from first frost. Fewer pests, less watering, and better flavour in most cool crops.
No autumn sowing window opens this month in this zone.
Harvesting this month
- Loose-leaf Lettuce — harvest from May 30 (2 gal, 6" deep)
- Radish — harvest from Apr 22 (1 gal, 6" deep)
- Kale — harvest from May 26 (3 gal, 10" deep)
- Spinach — harvest from May 9 (2 gal, 6" deep)
Not this month
- Carrot — next window opens in August. Starting it now means 3 months of impatient waiting, or a plant that stalls.
Zone 6 at a glance
Zone 6 gives about 160 frost-free days and is the easiest zone for container growing — long enough for peppers, short enough that midsummer heat rarely sterilises pollen.
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April in zone 6 · —