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Monthly planting calendarMay Planting and Harvest Calendar
What the usual USDA windows say about May: which field crops are being planted, which are being harvested and in which states.
Most active planting in May includes corn, cotton, durum wheat, peanuts, rice, sorghum, soybeans, spring barley, spring oats, spring wheat, sunflowers.
Planting in May
| Crop | States | Which states |
|---|---|---|
| Bean (Pole) | 1 | Arkansas |
| Beans (dry shell) | 1 | Minnesota |
| Beans, lima | 1 | North Florida |
| Beets | 3 | Central Illinois, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois |
| Broccoli | 3 | Central Illinois, Northern Illinois, Oregon Coast |
| Brussels sprouts | 2 | Central and higher-elevation Eastern Oregon, Oregon Coast |
| Bush Beans | 3 | Central Illinois, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois |
| Cabbage | 4 | Central Illinois, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois, Utah |
| Cantaloupe | 1 | Arkansas |
| Cantaloupes | 3 | Columbia and Snake River valleys, Oregon, Oregon Coast, Western valleys (Portland, Roseburg, Medford), Oregon |
| Carrots | 4 | Central Illinois, Central and higher-elevation Eastern Oregon, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois |
| Cauliflower | 2 | Central Illinois, Central and higher-elevation Eastern Oregon |
| Celery | 1 | Minnesota |
| Chard | 4 | Central Illinois, Central and higher-elevation Eastern Oregon, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois |
| Collards | 1 | Arkansas |
| Corn | 40 | Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming |
| Corn (Sweet) | 1 | Arkansas |
| Corn (home garden) | 3 | Central Illinois, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois |
| Cotton | 17 | Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia |
| Cucumber | 3 | Central Illinois, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois |
| Cucumber (Pickling) | 1 | Arkansas |
| Cucumber (Slicing) | 1 | Arkansas |
| Cucumbers | 1 | Central and higher-elevation Eastern Oregon |
| Durum wheat | 4 | Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota |
| Eggplant | 7 | Arkansas, Central Illinois, Columbia and Snake River valleys, Oregon, North Florida, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois, Western valleys (Portland, Roseburg, Medford), Oregon |
| Endive | 2 | Central Illinois, Northern Illinois |
| Green onions (sets) | 2 | Central Illinois, Northern Illinois |
| Kale | 4 | Columbia and Snake River valleys, Oregon, Northern Illinois, Oregon Coast, Western valleys (Portland, Roseburg, Medford), Oregon |
| Kohlrabi | 1 | Central and higher-elevation Eastern Oregon |
| Leeks | 1 | Central and higher-elevation Eastern Oregon |
| Lettuce | 1 | Northern Illinois |
| Lima Beans | 1 | Arkansas |
| Lima beans | 1 | Western valleys (Portland, Roseburg, Medford), Oregon |
| Muskmelon | 2 | Minnesota, Southern Illinois |
| Mustard | 1 | Northern Illinois |
| Okra | 7 | Arkansas, Central Florida, Central Illinois, Columbia and Snake River valleys, Oregon, North Florida, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois |
| Onions | 1 | Western valleys (Portland, Roseburg, Medford), Oregon |
| Parsnip | 3 | Central Illinois, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois |
| Parsnips | 2 | Minnesota, Oregon Coast |
| Peanuts | 10 | Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia |
| Peas | 2 | Central Illinois, Northern Illinois |
| Peas, southern | 2 | Central Florida, North Florida |
| Pepper | 2 | Central Illinois, Southern Illinois |
| Peppers | 5 | Arkansas, Central and higher-elevation Eastern Oregon, Columbia and Snake River valleys, Oregon, Oregon Coast, Western valleys (Portland, Roseburg, Medford), Oregon |
| Pickling cucumbers | 2 | Oregon Coast, Western valleys (Portland, Roseburg, Medford), Oregon |
| Pole Beans | 3 | Central Illinois, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois |
| Popcorn | 1 | Arkansas |
| Potatoes | 2 | Central and higher-elevation Eastern Oregon, Western valleys (Portland, Roseburg, Medford), Oregon |
| Potatoes (Sweet) | 1 | Arkansas |
| Potatoes, sweet | 3 | Central Florida, North Florida, South Florida |
| Pumpkin | 4 | Arkansas, Central Illinois, Minnesota, Southern Illinois |
| Pumpkins | 2 | Oregon Coast, Western valleys (Portland, Roseburg, Medford), Oregon |
| Radish | 4 | Arkansas, Central Illinois, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois |
| Rhubarb | 3 | Central Illinois, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois |
| Rice | 6 | Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Texas |
| Rutabaga | 3 | Central Illinois, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois |
| Slicing cucumbers | 1 | Western valleys (Portland, Roseburg, Medford), Oregon |
| Snap Beans | 1 | Arkansas |
| Snap beans | 2 | Oregon Coast, Western valleys (Portland, Roseburg, Medford), Oregon |
| Sorghum | 14 | Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas |
| Soybeans | 31 | Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin |
| Spring barley | 16 | Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming |
| Spring oats | 21 | Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin, Wyoming |
| Spring wheat | 10 | Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington |
| Squash (summer and winter) | 1 | Minnesota |
| Squash (summer) | 4 | Arkansas, Central Illinois, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois |
| Squash (winter) | 3 | Arkansas, Central Illinois, Southern Illinois |
| Summer squash | 2 | Oregon Coast, Western valleys (Portland, Roseburg, Medford), Oregon |
| Sunflowers | 8 | California, Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas |
| Sweet Potato | 3 | Central Illinois, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois |
| Sweet corn | 2 | Central and higher-elevation Eastern Oregon, Oregon Coast |
| Sweet potatoes | 1 | Columbia and Snake River valleys, Oregon |
| Swiss Chard | 1 | Arkansas |
| Swiss chard | 2 | Central Florida, Minnesota |
| Tomato | 4 | Arkansas, Central Illinois, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois |
| Tomatoes | 4 | Columbia and Snake River valleys, Oregon, Minnesota, Oregon Coast, Western valleys (Portland, Roseburg, Medford), Oregon |
| Turnip | 3 | Central Illinois, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois |
| Watermelon | 7 | Arkansas, Central Illinois, Columbia and Snake River valleys, Oregon, Minnesota, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois, Western valleys (Portland, Roseburg, Medford), Oregon |
| Winter squash | 2 | Oregon Coast, Western valleys (Portland, Roseburg, Medford), Oregon |
Harvest in May
| Crop | States | Which states |
|---|---|---|
| Alfalfa hay | 33 | Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New England 1/, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin |
| Durum wheat | 2 | Arizona, California |
| Fall barley | 4 | Arizona, California, North Carolina, Virginia |
| Fall oats | 7 | Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia |
| Winter wheat | 10 | Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas |
Frost-date caveat: a state is listed when its usual statewide window touches May. Your field may be earlier or later. Vegetables, fruit and garden crops are covered in the guides.
Last reviewed: November 2026. Field crop windows are from USDA NASS usual planting and harvesting dates (October 2010 edition); vegetable windows are from the state extension pages cited on each crop page. See methodology.