These are the seeds you can start sowing in plant pots indoors now, with a few you can whack straight into your borders. If you act now you can be reaping the rewards in no time, with broccoli, carrots and beetroot at your fingertips.
By May, all risk of frost has passed in most regions of the UK and now is the time to capitalise on warmer days and get your vegetables flourishing in the coming weeks ready for a late summer harvest.
Many vegetable, herb and flower seeds can be directly sown outdoors, while earlier sowings can now be planted out after a period of acclimatisation (hardening off) to outside conditions. Plenty of seeds can be sown indoors too, including more tender crops like cucumber and melon.
Sowing indoors will protect young plants from slugs and snails, and by planting them outside when they’re large enough to handle you’ll give them a head start on predators.
Many seeds can be sown outside at this time of year, and after the last frosts, tender plants can be planted outside. Beetroot or Boltardy is one of the most popular vegetables to grow, but you could also try a more unusually coloured cultivar, such as Touchstone Gold. You should sow seeds direct in shallow drills or pots.
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Now’s also the time to plant out pre-sown beetroot plugs outside – make sure you plant them before the roots develop or they will grow into unusual shapes.
May is the last time to sow sweetcorn, to give the plants plenty of time to grow and ripen. For best results, sow in a multi-celled tray indoors and plant out when the seedlings are large enough to handle. Any sweetcorn plants sown in April can be planted out now, after a period of hardening off.
Cucumbers grow best in a greenhouse but some newer varieties have been bred to tolerate outside conditions. Sow into multi-celled seed trays or individual pots, and pot on when seedlings are large enough to handle.How to grow: an extremely robust crop, sprouting broccoli produces nutrient-packed succulent spears, which are perfect for steaming, boiling and grilling.
Broccoli is another one to plant now. It’s easy to grow and, if you grow different varieties, you can harvest broccoli spears throughout winter and into spring. Sow into seed trays or small pots, and pot on until they’re ready to plant out.
Equally, carrots are a fantastic, easy-to-grow crop to raise from seed. As well as the classic orange cultivars, you could also try growing colourful cultivars such as Yellowstone. Sow into shallow drills of well-prepared, stone-free soil, or in pots.
Around this time of year, courgettes can be direct-sown in well-prepared soil outside or in pots or multi-celled trays for transplanting later on. They also work well in containers. Plants sown last month can be planted out now, once acclimatised. Protect young plants from slugs and snails, and water regularly. Courgettes are hungry crops – feed them weekly once they’ve started flowering.
Rocket is a quick-growing crop that takes up little space. Perfect for pots, direct-sow seeds on the surface of moist, peat-free, multi-purpose compost and protect emerging seedlings from slugs and snails. Make regular sowings every few weeks for a continuous crop throughout summer, and harvest as and when you need to.
French beans and runner beans (as well as soybeans) can be sown direct outside now – dwarf French cultivars are suitable for growing in pots. Support climbing beans with a teepee of canes. Any beans sown in pots or multi-celled trays last month can be planted out now after a period of hardening off – do protect young plants from slugs and snails.
Basil will grow outside but does best in heat and sunshine, making it perfect for sowing in May and keeping indoors, either on a windowsill or in a greenhouse. Sow direct in pots or in seed trays to transplant later.
Kohlrabi is an unusual-looking, but delicious vegetable that’s not widely grown. It’s quick-growing and reaches maturity in just a couple of months. Sow like other brassicas and harvest when no bigger than a tennis ball.