What to plant in May in Denmark
14 vegetables, fruits and herbs to sow or plant in May in Denmark, for the climate around Skåne, southern Sweden (near Lund).
Climate: Cold winters with frosts down to about -15 °C from November to February, mild summers reaching about 30 °C, and fairly even rain of 25 to 98 mm a month, wettest from June to October.
Vegetables
Carrot Daucus carota
Cool spring and autumn soils give sweet roots, and sowings from April to July store well over winter.
Harvest: 70–90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Garden pea Pisum sativum
Hardy peas sown after the last frost in March or April crop well before the summer heat.
Harvest: 60–70 daysEasyCare guide →
Potato Solanum tuberosum
Seed potatoes planted in April or May mature well in the mild summers and cope with the cold soil.
Harvest: 90–120 daysEasyIn pots
Beetroot Beta vulgaris
Beetroot grows reliably in cool, moist conditions and bolts less than most roots in this climate.
Harvest: 55–70 daysEasyIn pots
Leek Allium ampeloprasum
Leeks are very frost-hardy and can stay in the ground through the winter for harvest.
Harvest: 120–150 daysEasy
Kale Brassica oleracea
Kale becomes sweeter after frost and keeps producing leaves into the cold months.
Harvest: 60–80 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Courgette Cucurbita pepo
Courgettes need warm summer days, and the local summers give them enough heat once planted out in late spring.
Harvest: 50–60 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
French bean Phaseolus vulgaris
Bush beans sown after the frosts are over produce heavily in the warm summer months.
Harvest: 55–65 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Fruits
Strawberry Fragaria × ananassa
Strawberries are hardy under snow and give sweet, abundant fruit in the June and July sunshine.
Harvest: 1 yearEasyIn potsCare guide →
Herbs
Parsley Petroselinum crispum
Parsley tolerates cold and reseeds freely in the cool, moist climate.
Harvest: 70–90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Dill Anethum graveolens
Dill grows fast in the long summer days and self-seeds readily.
Harvest: 40–60 daysEasyIn pots
Chives Allium schoenoprasum
Chives are fully hardy perennials that return every spring.
Harvest: 60–75 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Thyme Thymus vulgaris
Common thyme survives Scandinavian winters in well-drained sun and enjoys the dry summer spells.
Harvest: 90–120 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Spearmint Mentha spicata
Spearmint is fully hardy and spreads vigorously in the moist, cool summers.
Harvest: 60–90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →