What to plant in May in Finland

Pea Pisum sativum

Hardy seedlings tolerate light spring frosts and cool weather, and the long days give sweet, tender pods.

Harvest: 60-70 daysEasyCare guide →

Spinach Spinacia oleracea

It thrives in cool spring and autumn temperatures and bolts less in long northern days than in heat.

Harvest: 40-50 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →

Lettuce Lactuca sativa

Quick-growing leaves do well in the mild summer, and cool-season varieties resist early bolting.

Harvest: 45-60 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →

Carrot Daucus carota

Sandy or loamy soil warms up by late May, and cool autumns sweeten the roots.

Harvest: 70-80 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →

Beetroot Beta vulgaris

It tolerates the cool summer well and stores in the cellar through the long winter.

Harvest: 55-65 daysEasyIn pots

Potato Solanum tuberosum

Planted after the last frost, it yields well in the long summer days, and early varieties suit the short season.

Harvest: 80-110 daysEasyIn pots

Radish Raphanus sativus

Its fast crop fits the short spring and late summer windows between frosts.

Harvest: 25-35 daysEasyIn pots

Onion Allium cepa

Hardy sets planted in April or May mature before the autumn rains and store well.

Harvest: 100-120 days from setsEasyIn potsCare guide →

Turnip Brassica rapa

Cool autumn weather produces crisp, sweet roots, and the crop matures quickly.

Harvest: 50-60 daysEasy

Rhubarb Rheum rhabarbarum

A perennial that survives the coldest winters and returns every spring, needing only sun and rich soil.

Harvest: 1-2 yearsEasy

Cabbage Brassica oleracea

Hardy cabbage handles the cool summers and is best transplanted in late May or June for autumn heads.

Harvest: 90-110 daysModerateCare guide →

Broad bean Vicia faba

Hardy varieties sown in spring tolerate cold soil and yield well before the summer heat.

Harvest: 80-100 daysEasy

Redcurrant Ribes rubrum

Very hardy bushes survive -30 °C winters and need the cool summers to set fruit.

Harvest: 2-3 yearsEasy

Blackcurrant Ribes nigrum

It is among the hardiest fruit crops and thrives on the long cool summers and wet autumns.

Harvest: 2-3 yearsEasy

Raspberry Rubus idaeus

Canes survive the winter minima, and the summer warmth ripens the berries in July.

Harvest: 1-2 yearsEasyCare guide →

Strawberry Fragaria × ananassa

Hardy plants survive under snow, and the long June days produce sweet berries.

Harvest: 1 yearEasyIn potsCare guide →

Apple Malus domestica

Cold-hardy apple trees on dwarfing rootstock survive winter lows and need warm summer days to ripen fruit.

Harvest: 3-5 yearsModerateCare guide →

Haskap Lonicera caerulea

This shrub is extremely hardy, flowers after frost, and fruits well in the cool northern summer.

Harvest: 2-3 yearsEasy

Sea buckthorn Hippophae rhamnoides

A native-style shrub that tolerates extreme cold and poor soil, and needs a male and a female plant to fruit.

Harvest: 3-4 yearsModerate

Chives Allium schoenoprasum

A hardy perennial that regrows each spring and tolerates the frost.

Harvest: 60-70 days from seedEasyIn potsCare guide →

Parsley Petroselinum crispum

Cool summers keep it leafy, and it tolerates light frost into autumn.

Harvest: 70-90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →

Dill Anethum graveolens

It grows quickly in the long northern summer days and self-seeds readily.

Harvest: 40-60 daysEasyIn pots

Mint Mentha spicata

A hardy perennial that thrives in moist soil and returns reliably each year.

Harvest: 60-90 days from cuttingsEasyIn potsCare guide →

Lovage Levisticum officinale

A very hardy perennial that comes back year after year in the cold climate.

Harvest: 2 years from seedEasy