Zone 7 · May · 6 weeks after last frost
What to plant in May in Zone 7
Typical last frost in zone 7 is around Apr 1, and first frost around Oct 25. 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.
No transplanting window is open this month here.
Direct sow
Sow straight into the final pot. These crops resent root disturbance, and transplanting them usually costs more time than it saves.
No direct-sowing window this month in this zone.
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 16 (2 gal, 6" deep)
- Kale — harvest from May 12 (3 gal, 10" deep)
- Zucchini — harvest from May 28 (7 gal, 14" deep)
- Spinach — harvest from Apr 25 (2 gal, 6" deep)
- Carrot — harvest from May 27 (3 gal, 12" deep)
Not this month
- Bush Bean — next window opens in August. Starting it now means 3 months of impatient waiting, or a plant that stalls.
- Bush Cucumber — next window opens in August. Starting it now means 3 months of impatient waiting, or a plant that stalls.
- Radish — next window opens in September. Starting it now means 4 months of impatient waiting, or a plant that stalls.
Zone 7 at a glance
Zone 7 has around 180 frost-free days and a real summer. The limiting factor is July heat, not season length, so shading and watering matter more than sowing dates.
Next and previous
April in zone 7 · —