What Seeds To Plant In May
What to Sow, Grow & Tidy Now
May has arrived with crisp mornings, cooler days, and that unmistakable “grab your gloves” garden energy. Whether you’re prepping veggie beds, pruning back the wild bits, or sneaking in a few cheerful winter flowers, this is the month to set your garden up for the cooler season ahead.. (Jump to seeds to sow)
1. Sow Those Winter Veggies
Cooler soil makes May a brilliant time to get winter crops started. Direct sow seeds for broccoli — Sprouting Calabrese is a lovely old-fashioned variety with great disease resistance. For leeks, Autumn Giant is a champion.
And if carrots are on your list, Thumbelina is the perfect little round variety for roasting. Don’t forget spinach for stir-fries and sugar snap peas for crisp, crunchy pods straight from the vine.
Top tip: Mix compost through your beds before sowing for a nutrient boost. Follow packet spacing too, because crowded seedlings make for cranky harvests.
2. Prune Smart, Not Hard
Time to grab the secateurs and give overgrown shrubs and fruit trees a tidy once they’ve finished fruiting — yes, stone fruit, we’re looking at you. Remove deadwood and any crisscrossing branches to let in more light and airflow.
For natives like grevilleas, a light tip-prune will encourage bushy new growth. Keep your tools sharp for clean cuts, and avoid hacking into old wood on spring bloomers. For those, it’s best to wait until after flowering.
3. Get Ready for Frost
In southern regions, frost can sneak in like an uninvited guest and knock tender plants about. Protect young seedlings with frost cloth, pegged loosely, or make DIY cloches from old bottles.
Add a thick layer of straw or sugarcane mulch around roots, but keep mulch away from stems to prevent rot. Got potted plants? Move them somewhere sheltered before chilly nights hit.
Top tip: Water the soil, not the leaves, before frost. Damp earth holds warmth better and gives plants a little extra protection.
4. Brighten Up with Winter Blooms
Check the flower list for your climate zone and sow in sunny spots with well-drained soil. Sweet peas are a great choice for most states. Climbing varieties will cheer up a plain fence, while compact varieties look gorgeous tumbling from pots or hanging baskets.
5. Tidy Now, Thank Yourself Later
Rake up fallen leaves and clear out finished summer crops to help keep slugs, snails, and fungal problems under control. Add healthy garden waste to the compost, layering veggie scraps with dry leaves to create beautiful black gold for future beds.
Check under pots, stones, and shady corners for pests. Evict snails now before they settle in for a winter feast. May is all about getting ahead. Sow a little, prune a little, tidy a little — and your winter garden will thank you.
Seeds to Sow in May
Not sure which climate zone you’re in? Check your zone map first, then match your sowing list below.
🏔️ Cool Mountain
Vegetables:
Broad Beans, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Lettuce, Mizuna, Mustard Greens, Onion, Pak Choy, Radish, Rocket, Shallots, Spinach, Spring Onions, Turnip.
Herbs:
Valerian.
🏜️ Arid
Vegetables:
Beetroot, Broad Beans, Broccoli, Burdock, Cabbage, Carrot, Cauliflower, Celery, Chinese Cabbage, Endive, Artichokes, Kale, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Lettuce, Mustard Greens, Onion, Pak Choy, Parsnip, Peas, Radish, Rocket, Silverbeet, Spinach, Thyme, Turnip.
Herbs:
Calendula, Catnip, Fennel, Lovage, Parsley, Tansy, Yarrow.
Flowers:
Alyssum, Linaria, Marigold, Sweet Peas, Snapdragon, Veronica.
🌿 Temperate
Vegetables:
Beetroot, Broad Beans, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrot, Cauliflower, Chives, Lamb’s Lettuce, Fennel, Kale, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Lettuce, Mizuna, Mustard Greens, Onion, Pak Choy, Peas, Radish, Rocket, Shallots, Silverbeet, Spinach, Turnip.
Herbs:
Agrimonia, Bergamot, Borage, Calendula, Comfrey, Dill, Echinacea, Heartsease, Hyssop, Lemon Balm, Lovage, Marjoram, Mint, Mugwort, Nettle, Oregano, Parsley, Poppy, Tansy, Wormwood, Yarrow.
Flowers:
Ageratum, Alyssum, Carnation, Catnip, Celosia, Chrysanthemum, Cornflower, Cosmos, Dianthus, Everlastings, Gaillardia, Gypsophila, Larkspur, Lavatera, Lavender, Livingstone Daisy, Marigold, Nasturtium, Native Iris, Nigella, Queen Anne’s Lace, Sweet Peas, Swan River Daisy, Rudbeckia, Snapdragon, Stock, Valerian, Veronica, Wallflower, Wild Pansy.
🌤️ Sub-Tropical
Vegetables:
Beetroot, Broad Beans, Broccoli, Burdock, Cabbage, Carrot, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Celery, Chicory, Chives, Collards, Endive, Florence Fennel, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Mizuna, Mustard Greens, Onion, Pak Choy, Peas, Radish, Rocket, Shallots, Silverbeet, Strawberry, Turnip.
Herbs:
Agrimonia, Bergamot, Borage, Calendula, Chamomile, Comfrey, Coriander, Dill, Echinacea, Heartsease, Lemon Balm, Lovage, Marjoram, Mint, Mugwort, Nettle, Oregano, Parsley, Poppy, Sorrel, Tansy, Wormwood, Yarrow.
Flowers:
Alyssum, Carnation, Catnip, Celosia, Chrysanthemum, Cornflower, Cosmos, Dianthus, Everlastings, Gaillardia, Gypsophila, Larkspur, Lavatera, Lavender, Linaria, Livingstone Daisy, Marigold, Nasturtium, Native Iris, Nigella, Queen Anne’s Lace, Swan River Daisy, Rudbeckia, Snapdragon, Stock, Sweet Peas, Valerian, Veronica, Wallflower, Wild Pansy.
🌴 Tropical
Vegetables:
Amaranth, Angelica, Artichokes, Asparagus, Asparagus Pea, Beans, Beetroot, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cape Gooseberry, Capsicum, Carrot, Cauliflower, Celery, Chicory, Chilli, Chinese Cabbage, Cucumber, Eggplant, Endive, Fennel, Kale, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Lettuce, Mizuna, Mibuna, Mustard Greens, Warrigal Greens, Okra, Oregano, Pak Choy, Peas, Potato, Pumpkin, Radish, Rockmelon, Rosemary, Sage, Salsify, Summer Savory, Winter Savory, Shallots, Silverbeet, Spring Onions, Bunching Onions, Squash, Strawberries, Sunflower, Sweet Corn, Tomatillo, Tomato, Turnip, Watermelon, Zucchini.
Herbs:
Angelica, Basil, Burdock, Calendula, Catnip, Chamomile, Chives, Coriander, Dandelion, Fennel, Feverfew, Hyssop, Lemon Balm, Linaria, Lovage, Marigold, Marjoram, Marshmallow, Mint, Parsley, Perilla, Sage, Salad Burnet, Savory, Sorrel, Tansy, Yarrow, Valerian.
Flowers:
Ageratum, Alyssum, Amaranth, Aster, Dahlia, Salvia, Snapdragon, Sweet Peas, Veronica, Zinnia.
