What to plant in May in Sweden
24 vegetables, fruits and herbs to sow or plant in May in Sweden, for the climate around Stockholm, Sweden.
Climate: A cold continental-maritime climate with hard winters (nights down to -17 °C, frost from roughly October to April), a short warm summer and fairly even rainfall year-round, peaking in June and October.
Vegetables
Pea Pisum sativum
Hardy seed sown in cool spring soil copes well with frost and matures before the summer heat.
Harvest: 60–70 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Broad bean Vicia faba
Tolerates cool, wet springs and light frosts, and needs no feeding.
Harvest: 90–120 daysEasy
Carrot Daucus carota
Long, cool summer days give sweet roots, and the crop stores well in the cold autumn.
Harvest: 70–90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Beetroot Beta vulgaris
Quick to mature in the cool summers and tolerates light frost.
Harvest: 55–70 daysEasyIn pots
Potato Solanum tuberosum
Planted after the last frost, it grows well in the mild summer and is harvested before autumn rains.
Harvest: 80–120 daysEasyIn pots
Lettuce Lactuca sativa
Cool temperatures and long summer light give crisp, quick heads.
Harvest: 45–60 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Spinach Spinacia oleracea
Thrives in cool spring and early autumn weather and handles light frost.
Harvest: 40–50 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Radish Raphanus sativus
Very fast crop that grows well in cool weather and needs little space.
Harvest: 25–35 daysEasyIn pots
Onion Allium cepa
Long summer days trigger good bulb formation, and sets planted in spring store well.
Harvest: 100–120 daysModerateIn potsCare guide →
Courgette Cucurbita pepo
Prolific under warm summer sun once the frosts are over.
Harvest: 50–60 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Kale Brassica oleracea
Frost actually sweetens kale, so it keeps producing into early winter.
Harvest: 60–90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Turnip Brassica rapa
Fast-growing root that does well in cool, moist summer conditions.
Harvest: 40–60 daysEasyIn pots
Fruits
Apple Malus domestica
Hardy cultivars survive the -17 °C winters and need the cool summers to ripen fruit.
Harvest: 3–5 yearsModerateCare guide →
Sour cherry Prunus cerasus
Cold-hardy cherry that fruits reliably in the Stockholm summer.
Harvest: 3–4 yearsModerate
Raspberry Rubus idaeus
Canes are fully hardy and yield well in the cool, moist summers.
Harvest: 1–2 yearsEasyIn potsCare guide →
Blackcurrant Ribes nigrum
Thrives in cold winters, which it needs for dormancy, and yields heavily here.
Harvest: 2–3 yearsEasy
Gooseberry Ribes uva-crispa
A very hardy shrub that copes well with frost and cool summers.
Harvest: 2–3 yearsEasy
Strawberry Fragaria × ananassa
Hardy plants that fruit in the long June days and produce runners quickly.
Harvest: 1 yearEasyIn potsCare guide →
Plum Prunus domestica
Hardy European plum varieties survive the winters and ripen in late summer.
Harvest: 3–5 yearsModerate
Herbs
Dill Anethum graveolens
Self-sows readily and thrives in the cool summer, with sprigs available through autumn.
Harvest: 40–60 daysEasyIn pots
Parsley Petroselinum crispum
Hardy biennial that tolerates light frost and keeps leaves in cool weather.
Harvest: 70–90 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Chives Allium schoenoprasum
Perennial that survives the winter and regrows every spring.
Harvest: 60–75 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →
Thyme Thymus vulgaris
Hardy with good drainage, and it tolerates the cold once established.
Harvest: 70–90 daysModerateIn potsCare guide →
Mint Mentha spicata
Fully hardy perennial that thrives in the moist summer and dies back in winter.
Harvest: 60–80 daysEasyIn potsCare guide →