May Garden Chores for All USDA Grow Zones

Planting by USDA Zone is a good starting point to get a handle on what you should be thinking of planting and when. If you pair this overview of gardening tasks by zone with experience, local knowledge and good year on year note taking then you will be well on your way to a successful and confident gardener in no time!

ZONE 4

You can still start seeds indoors of Brussels sprouts, okra, pumpkin, cucumber, winter squash, melons, eggplant, pepper, and tomato. Sow vine crops in individual peat pots since these do not transplant well if roots are disturbed.
Outdoors you can sow seeds directly into the garden for beets, carrots, chard, kohlrabi, late cabbage, leaf lettuce, mustard, collards, turnips, radish, spinach, onion sets, onion seeds for bunching onions, peas, and potatoes.
Plant new trees and shrubs now.
Perform weekly exams of fruit trees and ornamental crabapples and cherries for clusters of tiny, hairy, Eastern tent caterpillars. Remove and destroy or prune out limbs where they are nesting.
Keep “hilling up” potatoes.
Begin hardening-off frost tender plants now including vegetables, herbs, perennial and annual flowers that have been started indoors.
Fertilize perennial flowers now as growth is beginning. Most will only need fertilizing every three years and only at this time of year.
If the forecast looks good, sow seeds outdoors of beans, okra, pumpkin, sweet corn, and watermelon. Plant only partial rows of beans and sweet corn so that successive plantings can be done every week or two. Sweet corn should be planted in paired rows or blocks for good pollination.
By the end of this month, it should be safe to plant almost everything outdoors -tender annual flowers like impatiens as well as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. Houseplants, too, can be moved to a shady spot in the yard for their summer vacations.

ZONE 5

Measure the rainfall with a rain gauge posted near the garden so you can tell when to water. The garden needs about one inch of rain per week from April/May to September.
Plan new landscaping projects on paper first. Do not over plant. Be sure you know the mature size of each plant and allow for growth.
You can still start seeds indoors of okra, pumpkin, cucumber, winter squash, melons, eggplant, pepper, and tomato. Sow vine crops in individual peat pots since these do not transplant well if roots are disturbed.
Outdoors you can sow seeds directly into the garden for beets, carrots, chard, kohlrabi, late cabbage, leaf lettuce, mustard, collards, turnips, radish, spinach, onion sets, onion seeds for bunching onions, and peas.
Keep “hilling up” potatoes.
Have a trellis system in place for your tomato patch before the plants begin to sprawl.
Plant new trees and shrubs now.
Begin hardening-off frost tender plants now including vegetables, herbs, perennial and annual flowers that have been started indoors.
Fertilize perennial flowers now as growth is beginning. Most will only need fertilizing every three years and only at this time of year.
If the forecast looks good, sow seeds outdoors of beans, okra, pumpkin, sweet corn, and watermelon. Plant only partial rows of beans and sweet corn so that successive plantings can be done every week or two. Sweet corn should be planted in paired rows or blocks for good pollination.
By the end of this month, it should be safe to plant almost everything outdoors -tender annual flowers like impatiens as well as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. Houseplants, too, can be moved to a shady spot in the yard for their summer vacations.
Newly transplanted vegetable plants should be protected from cutworms with collars. Cut strips of cardboard two inches wide by eight inches long, staple them into circles and place them around the plants. Press the collar about one inch into the soil. These collars will fence out the cutworms and protect the stems of the vegetable plants.

ZONE 6

You can still start seeds indoors of okra, pumpkin, cucumber, summer and winter squash, and melons. Sow vine crops in individual peat pots since these do not transplant well if roots are disturbed.
Outdoors you can sow seeds directly into the garden for beets, carrots, chard, kohlrabi, late cabbage, lettuce, mustard, collards, turnips, radish, spinach, onion sets, onion seeds for bunching onions.
Plant new trees and shrubs by the end of the month.
Keep “hilling up” potatoes.
Begin hardening-off frost tender plants now including vegetables, herbs, perennial and annual flowers that have been started indoors.
Fertilize perennial flowers now as growth is beginning. Most will only need fertilizing every three years and only at this time of year.
If the forecast looks good, sow seeds outdoors of beans, okra, pumpkin, sweet corn, and watermelon. Plant only partial rows of beans and sweet corn so that successive plantings can be done every week or two. Sweet corn should be planted in paired rows or blocks for good pollination.
By the end of this month, it should be safe to plant almost everything outdoors -tender annual flowers like impatiens as well as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. Houseplants, too, can be moved to a shady spot in the yard for their summer vacations.
Plant sweet potato slips after the soil has warmed, this may not be until the beginning of June.
Cover Brassica crops with floating row cover to protect from cabbage moth and flea beetle damage if these little critters have been a problem in the past.
Colorado potato beetle adults, eggs and larvae can be hand-picked to remove or sprayed with an organic insecticide, spinosid if infestation is bad. Adults are yellow and black striped beetles. The eggs are yellow and laid in groups on the undersides of leaves. The larvae are humpbacked and red. Look for them on the stem tips. They are present almost all season.
Also keep an eye out for Striped and spotted cucumber beetles transmit a bacterial wilt to squashes and melons. Adults and eggs can be hand-picked throughout the season.
Watch for Mexican bean beetle. To be on the safe side you can cover the entire crop with floating row cover as soon as seedlings emerge.
Aphids of all types show up on a range of host plants as soon as the warm weather arrives. Look for them in newly unfurling foliage and sticky leaves are also a sign of their presence since they secrete a ‘honeydew’. Black sooty bold may also in this sticky substance and while alarming looking does little to no damage since it does not penetrate the leaves. Aphids, however, do damage the plant. Spray leaves with a strong jet of water to dislodge most of them. Insecticidal soap is an organic approved product that provides pretty good control as long as the insects are wetted well. A second and third treatment to kill newly hatched eggs may be needed in 5-7 days.
Squash vine borer adults are 1 inch long, orange and green day-flying moths that are emerging from the soil now. They lay brown, button-shaped, 1/16 inch eggs at the base of the vines of summer and winter squashes. Examine stems daily and remove eggs by hand to prevent burrowing of larvae as they hatch. Wrap lower 6 –12 inches of stem with aluminum foil or floating row cover to prevent egg laying.
Newly transplanted vegetable plants should be protected from cutworms with collars. Cut strips of cardboard two inches wide by eight inches long, staple them into circles and place them around the plants. Press the collar about one inch into the soil. These collars will fence out the cutworms and protect the stems of the vegetable plants.

ZONE 7

You can still start seeds indoors of okra, pumpkin, cucumber, summer and winter squash, and melons. Sow vine crops in individual peat pots since these do not transplant well if roots are disturbed.
Begin hardening-off frost tender plants now including vegetables, herbs, perennial and annual flowers that have been started indoors.
If the forecast looks good, sow seeds outdoors of beans, okra, pumpkin, sweet corn, and watermelon. Plant only partial rows of beans and sweet corn so that successive plantings can be done every week or two. Sweet corn should be planted in paired rows or blocks for good pollination.
By the end of this month, it should be safe to plant almost everything outdoors -tender annual flowers like impatiens as well as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. Houseplants, too, can be moved to a shady spot in the yard for their summer vacations.
Plant sweet potato slips after the soil has warmed, this may not be until the beginning of June.
Colorado potato beetle adults, eggs and larvae can be hand-picked to remove or sprayed with an organic insecticide, spinosid if infestation is bad. Adults are yellow and black striped beetles. The eggs are yellow and laid in groups on the undersides of leaves. The larvae are humpbacked and red. Look for them on the stem tips. They are present almost all season.
Also keep an eye out for Striped and spotted cucumber beetles transmit a bacterial wilt to squashes and melons. Adults and eggs can be hand-picked throughout the season.
Watch for Mexican bean beetle. To be on the safe side you can cover the entire crop with floating row cover as soon as seedlings emerge.
Aphids of all types show up on a range of host plants as soon as the warm weather arrives. Look for them in newly unfurling foliage and sticky leaves are also a sign of their presence since they secrete a ‘honeydew’. Black sooty bold may also in this sticky substance and while alarming looking does little to no damage since it does not penetrate the leaves. Aphids, however, do damage the plant. Spray leaves with a strong jet of water to dislodge most of them. Insecticidal soap is an organic approved product that provides pretty good control as long as the insects are wetted well. A second and third treatment to kill newly hatched eggs may be needed in 5-7 days.
Squash vine borer adults are 1 inch long, orange and green day-flying moths that are emerging from the soil now. They lay brown, button-shaped, 1/16 inch eggs at the base of the vines of summer and winter squashes. Examine stems daily and remove eggs by hand to prevent burrowing of larvae as they hatch. Wrap lower 6 –12 inches of stem with aluminum foil or floating row cover to prevent egg laying.
Newly transplanted vegetable plants should be protected from cutworms with collars. Cut strips of cardboard two inches wide by eight inches long, staple them into circles and place them around the plants. Press the collar about one inch into the soil. These collars will fence out the cutworms and protect the stems of the vegetable plants.
Keep “hilling up” potatoes.
Be sure to harvest leafy greens often because they will soon bolt.
Have a trellis system in place for your tomato patch before the plants begin to sprawl.

ZONE 8

Begin hardening-off frost tender plants now including vegetables, herbs, perennial and annual flowers that have been started indoors.
Sow seeds outdoors of beans, okra, pumpkin, sweet corn, and watermelon. Plant only partial rows of beans and sweet corn so that successive plantings can be done every week or two. Sweet corn should be planted in paired rows or blocks for good pollination.
By the beginning of this month, it should be safe to plant almost everything outdoors -tender annual flowers like impatiens as well as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. Houseplants, too, can be moved to a shady spot in the yard for their summer vacations.
Plant sweet potato slips after the soil has warmed.
Colorado potato beetle adults, eggs and larvae can be hand-picked to remove or sprayed with an organic insecticide, spinosid if infestation is bad. Adults are yellow and black striped beetles. The eggs are yellow and laid in groups on the undersides of leaves. The larvae are humpbacked and red. Look for them on the stem tips. They are present almost all season.
Also keep an eye out for Striped and spotted cucumber beetles transmit a bacterial wilt to squashes and melons. Adults and eggs can be hand-picked throughout the season.
Watch for Mexican bean beetle. To be on the safe side you can cover the entire crop with floating row cover as soon as seedlings emerge.
Aphids of all types show up on a range of host plants as soon as the warm weather arrives. Look for them in newly unfurling foliage and sticky leaves are also a sign of their presence since they secrete a ‘honeydew’. Black sooty bold may also in this sticky substance and while alarming looking does little to no damage since it does not penetrate the leaves. Aphids, however, do damage the plant. Spray leaves with a strong jet of water to dislodge most of them. Insecticidal soap is an organic approved product that provides pretty good control as long as the insects are wetted well. A second and third treatment to kill newly hatched eggs may be needed in 5-7 days.
Squash vine borer adults are 1 inch long, orange and green day-flying moths that are emerging from the soil now. They lay brown, button-shaped, 1/16 inch eggs at the base of the vines of summer and winter squashes. Examine stems daily and remove eggs by hand to prevent burrowing of larvae as they hatch. Wrap lower 6 –12 inches of stem with aluminum foil or floating row cover to prevent egg laying.
Newly transplanted vegetable plants should be protected from cutworms with collars. Cut strips of cardboard two inches wide by eight inches long, staple them into circles and place them around the plants. Press the collar about one inch into the soil. These collars will fence out the cutworms and protect the stems of the vegetable plants.
Keep “hilling up” potatoes.
Pinch herbs like basil, mint, oregano, and savory to promote bushy growth.
Be sure to harvest leafy greens often because they will soon bolt.
Have a trellis system in place for your tomato patch before the plants begin to sprawl.
The middle to end of May is an excellent time to take softwood cuttings of shrubs to start new plants. Some shrubs which can be propagated in this way are spirea, lilac and viburnum.

ZONE 9

Annual plants that can take summer heat include salvia, torenia, wax begonia, coleus, and ornamental pepper.
Plant heat-loving herbs, including basil, Mexican tarragon, lavender, and rosemary.
Heat loving favorites to plant now are okra, southern peas, and sweet potato.
Watch for thrips, scale, and mites on plants because they become more active in warm weather.
Watch for pests, disease, and nutritional disorders on tomato plants.
Prepare for hurricane season by checking trees for damaged or weak branches and pruning if needed.

ZONE 10

Ornamental plants that can take summer heat include coleus, salvia, torenia, wax begonia, and ornamental pepper.
Some lilies do better when their roots are crowded. Try planting Amazon, Aztec, and Clivia lilies in containers to increase blooming.
Plant heat-loving herbs, including basil, Mexican tarragon, ginger, cumin, summer savory, and rosemary.
May is a good time to plant long-maturing ginger and turmeric plants.
Sweet potatoes, boniato, hot peppers, and summer spinach such as Sisso, Malabar, and New Zealand can be planted now.
Watch for thrips, scale, and mites on plants because they become more active in warm weather.
Watch for pests, disease, and nutritional disorders on tomato plants.
Prepare for hurricane season by checking trees for damaged or weak branches and prune if needed.

	*Article Written by: Angie Lavezzo*
	About the Author: Angie Lavezzo is the former general manager of Sow True Seed. Beyond her professional role at Sow True, Angie's passion for gardening extends into personal hands-on experience, fostering plants and reaping bountiful harvests.