Zone 5a monthly plan
May planting calendar for zone 5a
These actions use zone 5a's typical frost dates and each crop's extension-sourced planting window.
- Last spring frost
- May 3
- First fall frost
- October 5
- Exact actions
- 50
Get dates for your exact ZIP
Zone averages cover wide areas. Your nearest NOAA station gives a more local frost window.
Planting jobs
Your May checklist
Search a crop or narrow the list by garden action. Dates are shifted from zone 5a's typical frost window.
50 matching actions, with 12 shown first
Transplant outdoors
24- Ageratum
flower
May 3 to May 170 sources
- May 3 to May 17
0 sources
- Black-Eyed Susan
flower
May 3 to May 170 sources
- Cantaloupe
vegetable
May 3 to May 170 sources
- Cucumber
vegetable
May 3 to May 170 sources
Show 19 more transplant outdoors
- DahliaMay 3 to May 17
- EggplantMay 3 to May 17
- English LavenderMay 3 to May 17
- French TarragonMay 3
- Globe AmaranthMay 3 to May 17
- Ground CherryMay 3 to May 17
- ImpatiensMay 3 to May 17
- LettuceMay 3
- MarigoldMay 3 to May 17
- PepperMay 3 to May 17
- PetuniaMay 3 to May 17
- RomanescoMay 3
- SpinachMay 3
- Sweet AlyssumApril 26 to May 3
- Swiss ChardMay 3
- TomatilloMay 10 to May 17
- TomatoMay 3 to May 17
- WatermelonMay 3 to May 17
- Wax BegoniaMay 3 to May 17
Direct sow
24- Basil
herb
May 30 sources
- Bok Choy
vegetable
May 30 sources
- Borage
herb
May 30 sources
- Cantaloupe
vegetable
May 3 to May 170 sources
- Cosmos
flower
May 3 to May 170 sources
Show 19 more direct sow
- CucamelonMay 3
- CucumberMay 3 to May 17
- DillMay 3
- FennelMay 3
- German ChamomileApril 26 to May 3
- Luffa GourdMay 3
- MarigoldMay 3 to May 17
- Mexican SunflowerMay 3 to May 17
- Mustard GreensApril 12 to May 3
- NasturtiumMay 3 to May 17
- New Zealand SpinachMay 3 to May 10
- ParsleyMay 3
- PumpkinMay 3 to May 17
- SunflowerMay 3 to May 17
- Sweet CornMay 3 to May 17
- Sweet MarjoramMay 3
- WatermelonMay 3 to May 17
- Winter SquashMay 3 to May 17
- ZucchiniMay 3 to May 17
Harvest
2How this checklist is sourced
USDA defines the hardiness zone, NOAA normals provide the typical frost anchors, and each crop's extension source supplies the planting offset. Broad season-only notes are kept on plant profiles because they do not change from one zone page to another.
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023 by USDA Agricultural Research Service / Oregon State University PRISM Group. the USDA hardiness-zone band.
- U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. the median spring and fall freeze dates.
Local conditions vary.