Grow your own: May
What to sow, plant and pick in a Raglan garden or allotment in May. Raglan sits in a frost-prone valley, so tender crops go out at the end of May, not the start.
Jobs for May
- Keep fleece handy — valley gardens often get frost into mid-May.
- Plant out tender crops at the end of the month, once nights stay above 5°C.
- Sow carrots, beetroot and salads outside.
Sow indoors
On a windowsill, in a greenhouse or under cover
Cucumbersfrost-tender
Sow seeds on their edge to stop them rotting.
Courgettesfrost-tender
Pick small and often — one or two plants feed a family.
Squash & pumpkinsfrost-tender
Leave winter squash on the plant until the skin hardens, then cure in the sun.
Sweetcornfrost-tender
Plant in a block, not a row — it's pollinated by the wind.
Runner beansfrost-tender
Keep picking or they stop producing; water well when flowering.
Basilfrost-tender
Hates cold and wet — a sunny windowsill is often best.
Sow outside
Straight into the ground
Courgettesfrost-tender
Pick small and often — one or two plants feed a family.
Runner beansfrost-tender
Keep picking or they stop producing; water well when flowering.
French beansfrost-tender
Dwarf types need no supports — good for pots.
Peas
Give them twiggy sticks or netting to climb.
Carrots
Sow thinly to avoid thinning, which attracts carrot fly.
Parsnips
Always use fresh seed; they taste sweeter after a frost.
Beetroot
Sow little and often for tender roots all summer.
Radishes
Ready in about a month — perfect for children to grow.
Lettuce
Sow a short row every fortnight; it bolts in hot, dry spells.
Salad leaves & rocket
Cut-and-come-again: snip leaves and they regrow.
Spinach
Prefers cool weather — spring and late-summer sowings do best.
Chard
Very forgiving, and often crops right through a mild winter.
Kale
Pick the lower leaves and it keeps going all winter.
Purple sprouting broccoli
Takes nearly a year, but crops in the hungry gap when little else does.
Parsley
Slow to germinate; soaking the seed overnight helps.
Plant out
Seedlings, sets and young plants
Tomatoesfrost-tender
Greenhouse plants can go in from late April; outdoor ones only once frosts are over.
Chillies & peppersfrost-tender
They need a long, warm season — start early on a sunny windowsill.
Cucumbersfrost-tender
Sow seeds on their edge to stop them rotting.
Courgettesfrost-tender
Pick small and often — one or two plants feed a family.
Squash & pumpkinsfrost-tender
Leave winter squash on the plant until the skin hardens, then cure in the sun.
Sweetcornfrost-tender
Plant in a block, not a row — it's pollinated by the wind.
Runner beansfrost-tender
Keep picking or they stop producing; water well when flowering.
French beansfrost-tender
Dwarf types need no supports — good for pots.
Potatoes
Chit seed potatoes in February; earth up as shoots appear and cover if frost threatens.
Kale
Pick the lower leaves and it keeps going all winter.
Brussels sprouts
Firm the soil well around them so they don't rock in winter winds.
Ready to harvest
- Radishes
- Lettuce
- Salad leaves & rocket
- Spinach
- Rhubarb
- Parsley