What to Plant in May in Zone 8
Here is what you can sow in May if you garden in USDA zone 8. Dates use typical zone 8 frosts, so your own microclimate may shift them by a week or two.
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| Crop | Window | Sow between |
|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicingBig Beef | spring | Apr 1 – Jun 1 |
| Tomato, cherrySun Gold | spring | Apr 1 – Jun 1 |
| Tomato, pasteAmish Paste | spring | Apr 1 – Jun 1 |
| Pepper, bellAce | spring | Apr 10 – Jun 1 |
| Pepper, hotJalapeño | spring | Apr 10 – Jun 1 |
| EggplantNadia | spring | Apr 15 – Jun 1 |
| Cucumber, slicingMarketmore 76 | spring | Apr 1 – Jul 1 |
| Cucumber, picklingExcelsior | spring | Apr 1 – Jul 1 |
| Squash, summerZucchini Dunja | spring | Apr 1 – Jul 15 |
| Squash, winterWaltham Butternut | spring | May 1 – Jun 15 |
| PumpkinNew England Pie | spring | May 15 – Jun 30 |
| WatermelonCrimson Sweet | spring | Apr 15 – Jun 1 |
| CantaloupeHale's Best | spring | Apr 15 – Jun 1 |
| OkraClemson Spineless | spring | Apr 15 – Jun 15 |
| Sweet CornInspiration | spring | Apr 1 – Jul 1 |
| Bush BeanProvider | spring | Mar 25 – May 15 |
| Pole BeanKentucky Wonder | spring | Apr 1 – Jun 1 |
| Sweet PotatoBeauregard | spring | May 1 – Jun 15 |
| BasilGenovese | spring | Apr 15 – Jul 1 |
| Lima Bean (Bush)Henderson | spring | Apr 1 – May 24 |
| Edamame (Soybean)Envy | spring | Apr 1 – May 29 |
| Southern Pea (Black-Eyed Pea)California Blackeye No. 5 | spring | Apr 8 – Jun 8 |
| Bean, dryPinto | spring | Apr 1 – May 24 |
| Corn, dent (grinding)Reid's Yellow Dent | spring | Apr 1 – May 9 |
| Amaranth, grainGolden Giant | spring | Apr 8 – May 14 |
| Sorghum, grainMennonite | spring | Apr 8 – May 14 |
| Pigeon peaGeorgia-2 (early dwarf) | spring | Apr 8 – May 4 |
| TomatilloToma Verde | spring | Apr 1 – Jun 1 |
| Ground CherryAunt Molly's | spring | Apr 1 – Jun 1 |
| Honeydew MelonEarli-Dew | spring | Apr 15 – Jun 1 |
| Spaghetti SquashTivoli | spring | Apr 15 – Jun 8 |
| Acorn SquashTable Queen | spring | Apr 15 – Jun 8 |
| Luffa GourdSmooth Luffa | spring | Apr 15 – Jun 8 |
| Sunflower, confectionMammoth Grey Stripe | spring | Apr 8 – Jun 8 |
| Pepper, bananaSweet Banana | spring | Apr 10 – Jun 1 |
| Pepper, poblanoPoblano | spring | Apr 10 – Jun 1 |
| Pepper, serranoSerrano Tampiqueno | spring | Apr 10 – Jun 1 |
| Pepper, cayenneLong Slim | spring | Apr 10 – Jun 1 |
| Pepper, shishitoShishito | spring | Apr 10 – Jun 1 |
| Pepper, habaneroOrange Habanero | spring | Apr 10 – Jun 1 |
| DillFernleaf | spring | Mar 18 – May 6 |
| OreganoGreek | spring | Mar 18 – May 6 |
| ThymeEnglish | spring | Mar 18 – May 6 |
| RosemaryTuscan Blue | spring | Mar 25 – May 6 |
| SageBroadleaf | spring | Mar 25 – May 6 |
| MintSpearmint | spring | Mar 25 – May 20 |
| ChivesCommon | spring | Mar 11 – May 6 |
| TarragonFrench | spring | Apr 15 – Jun 3 |
| MarjoramSweet Marjoram | spring | Apr 8 – Jun 17 |
| Lemon BalmCommon | spring | Apr 8 – Jun 3 |
| Summer SavoryCommon | spring | Apr 8 – Jun 17 |
| GingerBaby Ginger (Hawaiian) | spring | Apr 24 – May 24 |
| TurmericHawaiian Red | spring | Apr 24 – May 24 |
| PeanutValencia | spring | Apr 8 – May 9 |
| LavenderMunstead (English) | spring | Mar 25 – May 6 |
| LemongrassWest Indian | spring | Apr 15 – May 24 |
| Bay LaurelSweet Bay | spring | Apr 8 – May 24 |
| BorageCommon | spring | Mar 25 – Jun 3 |
| SteviaSweet Leaf | spring | Apr 8 – May 9 |
| Catmint (Catnip)Nepeta cataria | spring | Mar 25 – May 24 |
| Shiso (Perilla)Britton | spring | Apr 15 – Jun 3 |
| Scarlet Runner BeanScarlet Emperor | spring | Apr 1 – May 24 |
| PopcornRobust Pop | spring | Apr 1 – May 24 |
| Cucamelon (Mouse Melon)Melothria scabra | spring | Apr 8 – May 24 |
| Malabar SpinachRed Stem | spring | Apr 15 – Jun 3 |
| Tomato | spring | Apr 1 – Jun 1 |
| Pepper, sweet | spring | Apr 10 – Jun 1 |
| Cucumber | spring | Apr 1 – Jul 1 |
| Bean | spring | Mar 25 – May 15 |
| NasturtiumJewel Mix | spring | Mar 25 – May 6 |
Zone 8 in May
Squash and Sweet Potato Join In
The Long-Season Crops Arrive
Winter squash, pumpkin, and sweet potato slips all open this month, each needing real heat to root and size. Set sweet potato slips once soil holds at least 65 degrees at a 4-inch depth for several days running; cooler than that and the slips stall in place instead of pushing roots.
The overall table narrows from nearly a hundred crops to about 70 as the fastest of April's spring plantings finish their run, even as these slower, heat-loving crops fill the gaps they leave behind.
Pumpkin planted this month for an October harvest needs roughly 100 to 120 days depending on variety, so count forward from your planting date to make sure a large carving pumpkin has enough runway before the vines are expected to finish.
A Long Last-Call List
Roughly 27 crops close out this month, most of them bush beans, edamame, dry beans, grain amaranth and sorghum, and the tender herb bed, basil aside. Each needs to be in the ground by the middle of the month to have a full run before the trough of summer arrives.
Peanut is also on its last call this month; it needs a full 120 to 150 frost-free days to bring pods to maturity, and a June start simply doesn't leave that much runway before fall.
Ginger shares turmeric's long timeline here and is worth the same hedge: a large container that can be moved under cover once nights start dropping in fall, rather than a bed planting counting on a full tropical season.
Dill and chives both close out their spring window this month. Either can be resown once temperatures ease in fall, so losing this window isn't the end of the crop for the year, just a pause.
May in zone 8: common questions
What can I plant in May in zone 8?+
In May, USDA zone 8 gardeners can sow Tomato, slicing, Tomato, cherry, Tomato, paste, Pepper, bell, Pepper, hot, Eggplant, and more. Dates use typical zone 8 frosts, so your own microclimate may shift them by a week or two.
What USDA hardiness zone am I in?+
Zone 8 is one band of the map, but planting time is set by your local frost dates, not the zone number. Enter your ZIP code in the free planner and it uses your actual frost dates, which can differ by weeks within a single zone.
Are these May planting dates exact?+
They are typical zone 8 windows. Two gardens in the same zone can be a week or two apart because of elevation and local climate, so treat these as a starting point and tune them to your ZIP code with the free planner.