What to do in the garden in May
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Zone 1
❄️ Zone 1 · Min −51 °C · Northern Alaska, Yakutsk, Siberian far north. Almost no outdoor growing season.
- 🥬 Transplant lettuce to cold frame; soil still cold
- ❄️ Last frosts likely mid-month; use row cover
- 🌱 Harden off all seedlings in cold frame daily
- 🌾 Prepare beds; apply compost under plastic
Zone 2
🥶 Zone 2 · Min −45 °C · Interior Alaska, Northern Canada, Norilsk.
- 🥬 Transplant lettuce and spinach to cold frame
- 🫛 Direct sow peas and spinach late month if soil ≥ 2 °C
- 🌱 Harden off seedlings daily in cold frame
- 🌾 Prepare beds; top-dress with compost
Zone 3
🌨 Zone 3 · Min −40 °C · Winnipeg, Northern Minnesota, Surgut. Very short season (90–120 days).
- 🥬 Direct sow peas, spinach, carrots, radishes outdoors
- 🍅 Transplant brassicas to cold frame or outdoors
- ❄️ Last frost likely mid-May — protect transplants
- 🌾 Sow crimson clover in empty beds
Zone 4
🌧 Zone 4 · Min −34 °C · Minneapolis, Calgary, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg. Season ≈ 140 days.
- 🍅 Transplant brassicas outdoors after mid-month
- 🌽 Direct sow beans, beets, carrots after last frost
- ❄️ Last frost likely early May — keep row cover handy
- 🌾 Sow phacelia between beds as pollinator strip
Zone 5
🌥 Zone 5 · Min −29 °C · Chicago, Montreal, Moscow, Helsinki. Season ≈ 160 days.
- 🍅 Transplant brassicas; last frost likely early May
- 🌽 Direct sow beans, beets, carrots after frost
- 💧 Set up irrigation; mulch newly planted beds
- 🌿 Plant companion flowers throughout garden
Zone 6
⛅ Zone 6 · Min −23 °C · Denver, Toronto, Warsaw, Oslo, Kyiv. Season ≈ 180 days.
- 🍅 Transplant tomatoes, peppers after last frost
- 🌽 Direct sow beans, corn, squash outdoors
- 🌿 Mulch all beds; interplant companions
- 💧 Install drip irrigation
Zone 7
🌤 Zone 7 · Min −18 °C · New York, Berlin, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Seoul. Long season ≈ 200 days.
- 🌽 Summer garden fully planted
- 💧 Water regularly; mulch to retain moisture
- 🥬 Harvest cool-season crops before heat
- 🌾 Sow buckwheat as summer green manure
Zone 8
☀️ Zone 8 · Min −12 °C · Seattle, Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, Lille, Amsterdam. Near year-round growing.
- 🌽 Summer garden established; succession sow
- 💧 Mulch deeply to conserve moisture
- 🥬 Harvest cool crops before heat builds
- 🌾 Sow buckwheat in gaps as green manure
Zone 9
🌞 Zone 9 · Min −7 °C · London, Bordeaux, Marseille, Nantes, Rome, Madrid. Year-round outdoor growing.
- ☀️ Heat building — protect cool crops
- 🏆 Harvest tomatoes, beans, early summer crops
- 💧 Irrigate deeply in morning; conserve water
- 🌾 Sow buckwheat in gaps as green manure
Zone 10
🌴 Zone 10 · Min −1 °C · Nice, Lisbon, Athens, Southern California, Southern Florida. Subtropical.
- ☀️ Dry season — irrigation critical
- 🏆 Harvest spring tomatoes, beans, squash
- 💧 Drip irrigate; conserve water
- 🌾 Sow heat-tolerant cover crops in gaps
Zone 11
🌺 Zone 11 · Min +4 °C · Hawaii, Hong Kong, tropical coasts. True tropics, frost-free year-round.
- 🌧 Rainy season — focus on perennial maintenance
- 🌿 Maintain food forest; prune for light penetration
- 🏆 Harvest continuously; preserve surplus
- 🌾 Sow fast green manures between rains
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