What to Plant in May in Florida — Zones 9a Through 11
May is the month Florida gardens stop being polite. Daytime highs push past 85°F across most of the state, the rainy season starts ramping up in the south, and anything that prefers cool weather has either bolted, gone bitter, or already wrapped up. What you plant now needs to thrive in heat — not survive it.
If you're north of Ocala (roughly Zone 9a), May is your last good window for warm-season tomatoes and peppers before summer pest pressure peaks. South of that, you're in different territory entirely — Zones 10 and 11 are about choosing crops bred for tropical conditions and accepting that you'll be doing your serious vegetable gardening from October to April, not May to September.
Here's what works in May, broken down by what zone of Florida you're in.
Zone 9a — North Florida (Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Gainesville)
You're in the same general climate as the Texas Gulf Coast: warm days, humid summers, a real winter. May is your last realistic month to start heat-loving crops before the worst of summer.
Plant now:
- Okra. This is okra's moment. It loves heat, doesn't mind humidity, and produces all summer if you keep picking. Direct-sow seeds an inch deep, 12 inches apart. 'Clemson Spineless' is the standard.
- Southern peas (black-eyed, crowder). Direct-sow. They fix nitrogen in your soil and shrug off heat that would crush green beans.
- Sweet potatoes. Plant slips now for a fall harvest. They want heat, full sun, and loose soil.
- Cherry tomatoes (heat-tolerant varieties). 'Heatmaster', 'Solar Fire', and 'Florida 91' are bred for this exact climate. Skip the giant beefsteaks unless you're willing to baby them through 95°F days.
- Hot peppers. Jalapeños, cayenne, and habaneros all love May in North Florida.
Skip until fall:
- Lettuce, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage — all of these will bolt or refuse to head up. Plant them in October instead.
Zones 9b and 10a — Central Florida (Orlando, Tampa, Sarasota)
You're already getting summer-like conditions. Anything you plant this month is racing the heat.
Plant now:
- Sweet potatoes. Same as North Florida — plant slips now.
- Okra. Direct-sow. It'll outproduce almost anything else you grow this summer.
- Southern peas. Reliable, productive, and they improve your soil.
- Eggplant. Tropical perennial in Florida. Plant transplants now for production into November.
- Heat-tolerant tomatoes only. 'Everglades' (a tiny wild-type cherry that's basically bulletproof in Florida heat), 'Solar Fire', and 'Tropic VFN' are your best bets. Plant in the morning, mulch heavily, water at the base.
- Tropical herbs. Basil (especially Thai and holy basil), Mexican mint marigold (a tarragon substitute that thrives here), and lemongrass all love these conditions.
Skip until fall:
- Standard tomatoes and peppers from grocery store starts. They'll struggle.
- Squash and cucumbers — pickleworms and squash vine borers are about to make your life miserable. Wait for September.
Zones 10b and 11 — South Florida (Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Key West)
Welcome to the inverted growing season. Your "winter" garden runs October through May, your "summer" garden is mostly tropical perennials and crops bred for the heat-and-flood combo of summer rainy season.
Plant now:
- Boniato (Cuban sweet potato). Better adapted to South Florida than the standard sweet potato.
- Calabaza (Cuban pumpkin). Heat-loving, vine-borer-resistant, and a staple in the cuisine of the region.
- Yard-long beans. Direct-sow. They climb, they keep producing, they laugh at heat.
- Cassava (yuca). Plant cuttings now for harvest in 8–12 months. Perennial in South Florida.
- Malabar spinach. Climbing vine, leaves taste like spinach, thrives in heat that kills regular spinach.
- Roselle (Florida cranberry). Hibiscus relative grown for tart calyxes — used in jams, teas, and sauces.
Tropical fruit trees (great planting time before the rainy season really hits):
- Mango, avocado, sapodilla, lychee, sugar apple, tropical guava. Plant now while soil is still workable but rain is regular.
Skip until fall:
- Almost everything from a standard mainland US vegetable garden. The October–April growing season is your real garden.
Universal May Tasks for Florida Gardeners
No matter what zone you're in:
- Mulch heavily. 3–4 inches of pine straw, leaves, or wood chips. Florida sand drains too fast and bakes in the sun. Mulch is the single biggest thing you can do for your garden's water retention.
- Water at the base, in the morning. Overhead watering in Florida humidity is a recipe for fungal disease. Drip or soaker hoses pay for themselves the first season.
- Scout for pests weekly. Caterpillars, aphids, and whiteflies all explode in May. A 10-minute walk-through with a spray bottle of soapy water beats a chemical treatment two weeks later when the damage is done.
- Start fall garden seeds indoors mid-May. Tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant for September transplant should be started now. Yes, while your spring tomatoes are still finishing.
A Note on Zones — and Why Yours Matters More Here Than Most Places
Florida's USDA zones span 8b in the panhandle to 11 in the Keys. That's the same zone spread you'd see between Tennessee and the Caribbean. What works in Jacksonville will fail in Miami, and vice versa. If you're not sure which zone you're in, enter your zip code on GreenPrint.garden — it'll show you your zone, your local frost dates, and the plants that actually fit your microclimate.
The shortcut: Florida is so long that "Florida gardening advice" is mostly useless without knowing your specific zone. Always check yours before trusting a generic guide.
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Happy planting, Florida.