What to plant in May in New Zealand
5 vegetables, fruits and herbs to sow or plant in May in New Zealand, for the climate around Waikato, New Zealand.
Climate: Cool temperate maritime climate with frosts from May to September (coldest night 0 °C), warm summers peaking near 27 °C, and rain spread fairly evenly through the year, heaviest in summer.
Vegetables
Broad bean Vicia faba
Autumn-sown beans tolerate cold and rain well and are ready in early summer before the heat arrives.
Harvest: 90–120 daysEasy
Garden pea Pisum sativum
Cool, moist spring conditions suit peas, and they fix nitrogen to enrich the soil.
Harvest: 60–70 daysEasyCare guide →
Onion Allium cepa
Autumn-planted onions form bulbs in the long summer days and store well over winter.
Harvest: 120–180 daysModerateCare guide →
Kale Brassica oleracea
Frost-hardy and productive through winter, when many other crops stop growing.
Harvest: 60–70 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Radish Raphanus sativus
Fast, reliable crop that suits the cool shoulder seasons and fills gaps between other plantings.
Harvest: 25–35 daysEasyIn pots