What to plant in May in Japan
8 vegetables, fruits and herbs to sow or plant in May in Japan, for the climate around Mito area, Ibaraki, Japan.
Climate: Cold winters with frosts from November to April (coldest nights near -6 °C), warm humid summers around 30–35 °C, and a heavy rainy season from June to September, with September the wettest month.
Vegetables
Tomato Solanum lycopersicum
Warm summers give plenty of heat, and the transplants go out after the last frost in April or May.
Harvest: 70–90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Cucumber Cucumis sativus
Hot July and August weather suits cucumbers, and they crop heavily before the autumn cold.
Harvest: 50–70 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Eggplant Solanum melongena
Long hot summers give eggplants the warmth they need to fruit well.
Harvest: 80–100 daysModerateIn potsCare guide →
Sweet pepper Capsicum annuum
Warm summer nights and sunshine ripen peppers reliably in this climate.
Harvest: 70–90 daysModerateIn potsCare guide →
Sweet potato Ipomoea batatas
Hot summers and a long growing season give good tuber yields once the slips are planted out.
Harvest: 120–150 daysModerateIn pots
Fruits
Watermelon Citrullus lanatus
Hot July and August weather gives sweet melons, and the crop ripens before the autumn rains.
Harvest: 80–100 daysModerate
Herbs
Basil Ocimum basilicum
Warm summers suit basil, which grows fast and needs no frost protection once planted out.
Harvest: 30–40 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Spearmint Mentha spicata
Its hardy roots survive the winter, and the moist summers keep it vigorous.
Harvest: 60–90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →