05/05/2026
🌱 WHAT TO PLANT NOW
May is one of my favourite times of the gardening calendar. Depending on where you live in Australia, it's either your busiest planting month of the year or the start of something genuinely exciting.
Find your zone below and get stuck in 👇
🔵 COOL ZONE — (Tasmania, ACT, Alpine Victoria & NSW)
May is your last solid planting window before winter locks things down — use every bit of it.
Garlic is the star of May in the cool zone. It needs a proper cold period to develop good bulbs and right now is the sweet spot. Broad beans are another May must — sow them direct and they'll quietly do their thing all winter. Beyond those two, this is brassica season: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and kale all handle the cold well.
For root vegetables, carrots, beetroot, parsnip, swede and turnips can all go in now. Peas and snow peas are worth a go if your frosts aren't too savage yet. On the leafy side, spinach, silverbeet, lettuce, rocket, mizuna, endive and Asian greens are all cold tolerant and will give you something to harvest while everything else ticks along slowly. Leeks, onions, spring onions and shallots are great May additions too, and for herbs — parsley, coriander, chives and dill all thrive now that the heat is gone.
🟢 MILD ZONE — (Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, coastal NSW & Sydney)
May is genuinely one of the best months of the year to be a gardener in the mild zone. The heat has backed off, pest pressure is lower, and cool-season crops absolutely love these conditions.
Garlic goes in now — this is the month for it. Broad beans too, direct sown. Peas and snow peas are one of the most rewarding things you can plant in May — productive, beginner-friendly, and ready in about 10–12 weeks.
Carrots, beetroot, parsnip, swede, radish and turnips are all excellent direct-sown right now. The whole brassica family is in its element: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and kale. For leafy greens you've got a huge range — lettuce, spinach, silverbeet, rocket, mizuna, mustard greens, endive, bok choy and Asian greens are all fair game. Leeks, onions, spring onions, shallots and fennel are also great May picks, and if you haven't tried celery, celeriac or kohlrabi before, now is a good time to give them a go. For herbs: parsley, coriander, dill and chives — all far less likely to bolt than they were in summer.
🟡 ARID ZONE — (Alice Springs, Broken Hill, inland WA & QLD)
Winter is your prime growing season. The heat has eased and from May through to August conditions are as good as it gets.
Carrots, beetroot, radish, turnips and parsnip can all be direct sown now. Onions, spring onions, leeks and shallots do well, and spinach, silverbeet, lettuce and Asian greens will thrive with a bit of wind protection. Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and kale are all worth planting through winter. Peas are worth sowing if you can keep the soil moist during germination, and garlic and broad beans go in now too — both low-maintenance once established.
The biggest thing in the arid zone: mulch generously, protect from wind, and consider raised beds or wicking beds if you haven't already.
🟠 SUB-TROPICAL ZONE — (Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Coffs Harbour, northern NSW)
May is when the sub-tropical growing season properly kicks off. The humidity has dropped, temperatures are comfortable, and you can grow an enormous variety of vegetables right through until spring.
On the warm side, tomatoes, capsicum, eggplant, cucumber and zucchini are just getting going for you now. Pumpkin, corn and beans are also in play through May. At the same time you can run a cool-season patch alongside all of that — broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale and Asian greens all do well from May, as do lettuce, spinach, silverbeet, rocket, bok choy and mizuna. Carrots, beetroot, radish, turnips, onions, spring onions, leeks and fennel are all solid May plantings too.
Basically — you've got the best of both worlds right now. Most of Australia would be very jealous.
🔴 TROPICAL ZONE — (Darwin, Cairns, Broome, Townsville)
Welcome to the dry season — the best time of year to grow food in the tropics, and May is right in the heart of it.
Whatever the rest of Australia grows in summer, you grow now. Tomatoes, capsicum, eggplant, cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin and corn are all prime picks. Beans and snake beans are productive and fast, and okra loves conditions right now. On the leafy side, silverbeet, bok choy, tatsoi, mizuna, spinach and lettuce all handle the dry season well. Carrots, beetroot, radish, spring onions and onions can all go in, and broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower will do better now than at any other time of year. For herbs — basil, coriander, parsley and chives will all thrive through the dry season.
If you're new to gardening in the tropics, start with a few fast-maturing crops — radish is the quickest win in the patch — and build from there.
🌱 Not sure which zone you're in? Drop your town in the comments and we'll help you out 😊
