What to Plant in May in Zone 11

18 crops you can start in zone 11a & 11b during May. Zone 11 doesn't get a killing frost in a typical year, so these dates follow the local growing seasons rather than frost dates. Each crop links to its full dates for zone 11.

Start indoors in May

Seeds to start under lights or on a sunny sill this month. Dates are the indoor-start window for zone 11.

Vegetables & herbs

Sweet PotatoOct–JulFall

Peppers

7 Pot Douglah Pepper (Chocolate 7 Pot)May–NovSummer
7 Pot Primo PepperMay–NovSummer
Aji Amarillo PepperMay–NovSummer
Carolina Reaper PepperMay–NovSummer
Datil PepperMay–NovSummer
Dorset Naga PepperMay–NovSummer
Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia)May–NovSummer
Habanero PepperMay–NovSummer
Komodo Dragon PepperMay–NovSummer
Lemon Drop PepperMay–NovSummer
Naga Viper PepperMay–NovSummer
Rocoto PepperMay–NovSummer
Scotch Bonnet PepperMay–NovSummer
Superhot Pepper (Ghost, Reaper, Scorpion)May–NovSummer
Tabasco PepperMay–NovSummer
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion PepperMay–NovSummer
Trinidad Scorpion Butch T PepperMay–NovSummer

Sow or plant outside in May

What goes in the ground this month, either as seed or as a transplant. Dates are the planting-out window for zone 11.

Sweet PotatoTransplantDec–SepFall

← April in zone 11 · June in zone 11 →

Keep planning

Growing guides

Plan your bed

Not sure of your zone? Look it up by ZIP code.

May in other zones: zone 2, zone 3, zone 4, zone 5, zone 6, zone 7, zone 10

Worth having in May

Panacea Heavy-Duty Galvanized Tomato CageHeavy-gauge cages that hold a fruit-loaded tomato up, and last for years.Check price on Amazon →Rocky Mountain Goods Flat Soaker HoseSeeps water along a whole row, with no drip emitters to clog.Check price on Amazon →Rachio Smart Hose TimerWaters on a schedule and skips rainy days.Check price on Amazon →

See all gear we recommend →

What to plant in May in zone 11: sweet potato, aji amarillo pepper, Carolina Reaper pepper, datil pepper and more

Pin this for later

What to plant in May in zone 11: 18 crops to start indoors or plant outside, including sweet potato, aji amarillo pepper, Carolina Reaper pepper, datil pepper, with exact dates for zone 11a and 11b.

Save to Pinterest

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Some links on this page also go to other retailers we may earn a commission from as an affiliate, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products with a clear consensus of positive, independent reviews, or ones we bought and use ourselves. Each item on our gear page says which.