May in Florida means two very different gardens depending on where you stand. North Florida is well clear of frost and settling into full warm-season planting, while central and south Florida are already sliding into the hot, wet stretch of the year, where the tender spring crops are finishing and heat-tolerant varieties take over. The calendar that matters here is soil temperature and rainfall, not the last frost date.
What goes in the ground in May
For north Florida, using the Jacksonville area as the reference point, the last spring frost typically falls between February 16 and March 7. By this month that window closed roughly two to three months back, and soil temperatures have caught up. This is prime territory for direct-sowing and transplanting warm-season crops: snap beans, southern peas, okra, sweet corn, sweet potato slips, peppers, eggplant, and vining crops like cucumbers, squash, and melons. Soil, not air, decides success here. Warm-season seed germinates poorly, or rots outright, if the ground is still cool and wet from spring rain, so check that soil has warmed and drained before committing a full row.
Central and south Florida operate on an inverted calendar. Those zones are effectively frost-free, so the real growing season runs through fall and winter, and summer, which is already arriving by this month, is the difficult stretch. Heat and humidity, not cold, are the limiting factors. What still goes in the ground there favors crops that shrug off high temperatures and heavy rain: okra, southern peas, sweet potato, malanga, boniato, callaloo, and heat-tolerant greens like Malabar spinach and New Zealand spinach. Lettuce, broccoli, and other cool-season crops are on their way out, not in.
The decision test is the same statewide: press a thermometer or a finger into the soil, not the calendar. If the ground stays cool and soggy, hold off even on crops that are technically in season.
| Region reference | Frost status this month | Safe to plant now |
|---|---|---|
| North Florida (Jacksonville area) | Well past last frost (Feb 16-Mar 7 window closed) | Beans, okra, corn, peppers, squash, melons, sweet potato |
| Central/South Florida | Frost-free; entering summer heat season | Okra, southern peas, sweet potato, malanga, heat-tolerant greens |
What to start under cover
By this month, starting seeds under cover in Florida has less to do with dodging frost and more to do with dodging heat. In north Florida, the frost window has been closed long enough that cold protection is no longer the concern; the challenge is that some seeds, lettuce in particular, germinate poorly or not at all once soil temperatures climb too high. Starting those in trays indoors, in a shaded spot, or under light shade cloth gives them the cooler, more even conditions they need before you move seedlings out.
Statewide, this is also the month to think ahead to the fall garden, but with a caution: counting backward from the first fall frost (November 26 to December 13 in the north Florida reference window) shows there is still a long stretch of hot weather ahead before that transplant date makes sense. Starting long-season fall crops like broccoli or cabbage indoors this early usually backfires, producing leggy, rootbound seedlings that sit too long waiting for temperatures to drop. The safer play is to save indoor starting for crops that need protection from heat right now, tomatoes and peppers for a fall crop in the deep south where the season is long enough to support a second round, and hold off on the classic cool-season vegetables until closer to when soil temperatures actually begin falling.
The two failure modes to watch for are the same everywhere: start too early under cover and you end up babysitting overgrown seedlings in trays for weeks; start too late and heat or the compressed fall window in the north catches up with you before plants mature.
What is ready to pick
North Florida gardens are hitting a harvest peak this month. Blueberries, one of the state’s signature early-season fruits, are typically at or near their peak, and strawberry plantings from earlier in the spring are finishing their last flush before heat shuts them down. Snap beans, squash, cucumbers, and new potatoes planted in the preceding weeks start coming off the vine and out of the ground, and sweet corn planted early is often tasseling.
Further south, the picture blends two seasons at once. The last of the cool-season crops, bolting lettuce, finishing broccoli, are best pulled now before they turn bitter or woody, since heat pushes them to flower fast. At the same time, some of the region’s tropical fruit is just getting started: mango trees in many dooryard plantings begin dropping fruit as the season progresses, and avocado varieties on the earlier end of the harvest calendar start coming in.
A practical habit worth keeping regardless of region: check any stored winter squash, onions, or potatoes from earlier harvests for soft spots or sprouting. Warm, humid air speeds up spoilage, so anything showing early signs of turning should move to the kitchen before it’s lost.
The jobs that matter this month
Mulch is the single highest-leverage job on the list. As temperatures climb and, in central and south Florida, rainfall picks up heading into the wet season, exposed soil loses moisture fast and rain compacts bare beds. A 2 to 3 inch layer of mulch around warm-season transplants now saves watering effort for months and suppresses the weed flush that heat and humidity bring on.
Staking and trellising need to happen before plants sprawl, not after. Tomatoes, cucumbers, and vining squash put on rapid growth once the weather warms, and a cage or trellis installed after the fact means fighting with tangled vines and risking broken stems.
Watering rhythm shifts this month too. North Florida gardens still relying on manual watering should move to deeper, less frequent sessions that encourage roots downward as heat increases. In central and south Florida, the opposite adjustment often matters more: as the rainy season builds, drainage and disease prevention take priority over irrigation, since waterlogged roots and fungal pressure become the bigger risk than drought.
Pest scouting deserves a regular walk through the garden this month. Warm, humid conditions favor aphids, whiteflies, and early fungal disease on squash and cucumbers, and catching an infestation in its first week is far easier than fighting it once it’s established. Succession sowing of fast crops like bush beans or okra every couple of weeks keeps harvests coming rather than arriving all at once. For those in hurricane-prone areas, this is also a sensible time to check that trellises, cages, and any garden structures are secured before the season that typically begins ramping up in the weeks ahead.
What not to do in May
The most common mistake this month runs the opposite direction from what gardeners expect in a spring month elsewhere: rather than planting too early into cold soil, Florida gardeners often plant cool-season crops too late, holding onto lettuce, spinach, or broccoli past the point where heat has already made the soil and air inhospitable. If a cool-season crop is bolting or turning bitter, that’s the signal to pull it, not to keep coaxing it along.
A second frequent error is judging planting timing by air temperature alone. A pleasant, mild week doesn’t mean the soil has warmed enough for melon or okra seed to germinate reliably, and a string of hot days doesn’t mean the soil beneath mulch has caught up yet either. Checking the soil directly, rather than trusting how the air feels, avoids both a false start and a missed window.
Nitrogen timing is worth a second look too. Heavy nitrogen applications right before a heavy rain event, common as the wet season builds in central and south Florida, tend to leach past the root zone before plants can use them, wasting fertilizer and adding nothing but runoff. Splitting fertilizer into smaller, more frequent applications, or timing it to drier stretches, gets more of it to the plant.
Finally, resist uncovering or removing shade protection from heat-sensitive seedlings too early after a cooler spell. A few mild days don’t mean the heat stress is over, and tender transplants can scorch fast once full sun and high humidity return.
Checking this against your own county
Florida’s hardiness zones run from 8b in the north to 11b in the south, under the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, and that range alone should be a signal that a single statewide planting month is only a starting point. Elevation is a minor factor here compared to latitude, but coastal versus inland location, and simple distance from the equator, shift both frost risk and summer heat onset by weeks between the Panhandle and the Keys. Before planting by this page alone, check the University of Florida’s IFAS Extension network at sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu for county-specific guidance and local planting calendars.
Common questions
Is it too late to plant tomatoes in Florida in May?
In north Florida, tomatoes planted earlier in spring are usually already producing, and new plantings this month risk running into summer heat before they set much fruit. In central and south Florida, tomatoes are typically wrapping up their spring run as heat builds, with the next planting window opening in fall.
What vegetables tolerate Florida heat best?
Okra, southern peas, sweet potato, and heat-tolerant greens like Malabar spinach and New Zealand spinach handle high temperatures and humidity far better than lettuce, broccoli, or spring peas, which bolt or stop producing once heat sets in.
Why does south Florida’s growing season run opposite to the rest of the country?
Because south Florida is essentially frost-free, the crops that elsewhere depend on a frost-free summer can be grown through the mild, dry winter instead, while the hot, humid summer becomes the season to avoid or work around with heat-tolerant crops.
Should I fertilize my Florida garden heavily before the rainy season?
Heavy applications right before a wet spell tend to leach out of the root zone before plants absorb them. Smaller, more frequent feedings, or waiting for drier windows, put more of the fertilizer to use and reduce runoff.