Zone 8a planting calendar

What to plant in May: zone 8a

A rule-of-thumb starting point for zone 8a: last spring frost around March 30, first fall frost around November 15. Zones are set by winter lows, not frost dates, so two gardens in the same zone can be weeks apart. Measure your ZIP below for dates from your area's own 30-year record.

These are zone-average dates. Check an area-level frost estimate from thirty years of nearby weather history and this calendar retimes itself.
Typical last frost: March 30
Typical first frost: November 15
Winter lows: 10 to 15 °F
Zone 8a Almanac. What growers here actually recorded: sowing weeks, days to first pick, and yields.

Succession sow

  • Cucumber2 sowings: May 4 and May 25

    Sowing 2: replant every 21 days so one planting never has to feed you all season. Sowing again a few weeks later keeps the harvest coming instead of arriving all at once.

  • Zucchini2 sowings: May 4 and May 25

    Sowing 2: replant every 21 days so one planting never has to feed you all season. Sowing again a few weeks later keeps the harvest coming instead of arriving all at once.

  • Basil2 sowings: May 4 and May 25

    Sowing 2: replant every 21 days so one planting never has to feed you all season. Sowing again a few weeks later keeps the harvest coming instead of arriving all at once.

  • Bush bean2 sowings: May 11 and May 25

    Sowing 3: replant every 14 days so one planting never has to feed you all season. Sowing again a few weeks later keeps the harvest coming instead of arriving all at once.

  • Winter squasharound May 11

    Sowing 2: replant every 21 days so one planting never has to feed you all season.

  • Sweet corn2 sowings: May 11 and May 25

    Sowing 3: replant every 14 days so one planting never has to feed you all season. Sowing again a few weeks later keeps the harvest coming instead of arriving all at once.

  • Beetaround May 18

    Sowing 2: replant every 21 days so one planting never has to feed you all season.

  • Carrotaround May 18

    Sowing 2: replant every 21 days so one planting never has to feed you all season.

Garden care

  • Side-dress heavy feeders3 sowings: May 11 and May 18 and May 25

    Tomatoes, peppers, corn and squash get compost or fish emulsion once fruit sets. Sowing again a few weeks later keeps the harvest coming instead of arriving all at once.

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