What to plant in May in Ireland
16 vegetables, fruits and herbs to sow or plant in May in Ireland, for the climate around Dublin, Ireland.
Climate: A cool, wet oceanic climate with mild summers (highs around 18-20 °C), occasional frosts from November to March, and rain spread through the year with the wettest months in autumn and winter.
Vegetables
Potato Solanum tuberosum
Cool, moist summers suit tubers, and sprouted seed potatoes are widely sold in spring.
Harvest: 90–120 daysEasyIn pots
Kale Brassica oleracea
Hardy kale tolerates frost and keeps producing leaves through the cold, wet winter.
Harvest: 60–90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Carrot Daucus carota
Cool temperatures and steady moisture give sweet, crisp roots with little fuss.
Harvest: 70–90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Lettuce Lactuca sativa
Mild summers and cool nights prevent bolting, so it can be sown in succession for much of the year.
Harvest: 45–60 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Leek Allium ampeloprasum
Very hardy, it stands through Irish winters and can be lifted fresh whenever needed.
Harvest: 120–150 daysEasy
Pea Pisum sativum
Cool springs and summers suit peas, which crop well before the late-summer heat would matter.
Harvest: 60–80 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Beetroot Beta vulgaris
Cool, moist conditions give tender roots and leaves without bolting.
Harvest: 55–70 daysEasyIn pots
Spinach Spinacia oleracea
It thrives in the cool, moist spring and autumn weather and grows quickly.
Harvest: 40–50 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Courgette Cucurbita pepo
Planted out after the frosts, it fruits well in the warm summer months.
Harvest: 50–65 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Radish Raphanus sativus
Fast-growing and cool-season, it gives quick crops between other plantings.
Harvest: 25–35 daysEasyIn pots
Fruits
Strawberry Fragaria × ananassa
Hardy and productive in cool summers, and it grows well in containers and hanging baskets.
Harvest: 60–90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Herbs
Parsley Petroselinum crispum
Hardy and productive in cool, moist conditions, and it keeps giving leaves for months.
Harvest: 70–90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Chives Allium schoenoprasum
Fully hardy and perennial, it regrows reliably after every cut in the Irish climate.
Harvest: 60–75 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Mint Mentha spicata
Vigorous and hardy in moist soil, and it does well in a pot to keep its spread in check.
Harvest: 60–90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Thyme Thymus vulgaris
Hardy perennial that needs free-draining soil, which a raised bed or pot provides in this wet climate.
Harvest: 70–90 daysModerateIn potsCare guide →
Sage Salvia officinalis
Hardy and long-lived, it does well in a sunny, well-drained spot in Irish gardens.
Harvest: 70–90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →