What to plant in May in Netherlands
17 vegetables, fruits and herbs to sow or plant in May in Netherlands, for the climate around Utrecht, Netherlands.
Climate: Cool temperate oceanic climate with frosts from roughly December to March, mild wet summers, and rain spread fairly evenly through the year with a wetter autumn.
Vegetables
Lettuce Lactuca sativa
Cool spring and autumn weather suits lettuce, and successive sowings avoid summer bolting.
Harvest: 30-60 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Spinach Spinacia oleracea
It thrives in the cool, moist conditions of spring and autumn and tolerates light frost.
Harvest: 40-50 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Garden pea Pisum sativum
Peas sown in early spring finish before the summer heat and enjoy the mild, damp climate.
Harvest: 60-70 daysEasyCare guide →
Carrot Daucus carota
Sandy or loamy Dutch soils and cool summers give sweet, well-formed carrots.
Harvest: 70-90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Kale Brassica oleracea
Kale tolerates the cold and wet winters and keeps producing leaves into the frost.
Harvest: 60-90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Tomato Solanum lycopersicum
Plant out after the frosts in a sunny, sheltered spot against a south wall to ripen fruit.
Harvest: 70-90 daysModerateIn potsCare guide →
Courgette Cucurbita pepo
Warm early summer days are enough for courgettes to crop prolifically.
Harvest: 50-60 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Runner bean Phaseolus coccineus
Once frosts are over, runner beans climb quickly and cope well with the mild summer.
Harvest: 60-75 daysEasyIn pots
Beetroot Beta vulgaris
Cool, moist summers suit beetroot, which grows reliably in Dutch garden soil.
Harvest: 55-70 daysEasyIn pots
Potato Solanum tuberosum
Early-spring seed potatoes avoid the worst of late blight and yield well in the cool climate.
Harvest: 90-120 daysEasyIn pots
Radish Raphanus sativus
Radishes grow quickly in the cool temperate weather and can be sown almost all season.
Harvest: 25-35 daysEasyIn pots
Fruits
Strawberry Fragaria × ananassa
Strawberries are fully hardy and fruit reliably in the mild early summer.
Harvest: 60-90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Herbs
Spearmint Mentha spicata
Mint is hardy and spreads vigorously in the moist, cool soil of the Netherlands.
Harvest: 60-90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Parsley Petroselinum crispum
Parsley tolerates light frost and produces leaves steadily in the cool climate.
Harvest: 70-90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Thyme Thymus vulgaris
Thyme copes with cold winters and prefers the well-drained spots that a sunny balcony provides.
Harvest: 70-90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Chives Allium schoenoprasum
Chives are fully hardy and regrow reliably from clumps year after year.
Harvest: 60-75 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Basil Ocimum basilicum
Basil needs warmth, so plant it out after the frosts in a sunny, sheltered pot.
Harvest: 60-70 daysModerateIn potsCare guide →