Florida May 2025: Summer Crops Take Over

If April was the farewell party for cool-season crops, May is when summer takes over in earnest. Temperatures in Central Florida push into the low 90s, afternoon thunderstorms become a daily routine, and the garden either adapts or wilts. But here is the thing most newcomers to Florida gardening miss: summer is not a dead season. It is a different season, and some of the best-tasting, most productive crops we grow thrive in exactly this heat.

At Wholly Water Farms, May is one of our busiest planting months. We are putting sweet potato slips in the ground, direct-seeding okra, and training Seminole pumpkin vines along our fence lines. Meanwhile, indoors, our microgreens operation keeps humming along regardless of what the thermometer says outside.

What Should You Plant in Florida in May?

May is the ideal month to plant heat-loving crops that actually perform in Florida summers, including sweet potatoes, okra, southern peas, Seminole pumpkin, Malabar spinach, and Everglades cherry tomatoes. These are varieties selected or adapted over generations for exactly the conditions most gardeners dread. According to UF/IFAS, May is the prime window for getting these summer staples established before the heaviest rains arrive in June.

May Planting Table for Central and South Florida

Why Are Sweet Potato Slips Better Than Seeds?

Sweet potatoes are not grown from seeds the way most vegetables are. Instead, you plant slips — small rooted sprouts taken from a mature sweet potato. This vegetative propagation ensures consistent genetics, faster establishment, and reliable tuber production. Each slip goes about 4 inches deep into loose, well-drained soil, spaced 12 inches apart. Florida's sandy soils actually work in your favor here, because the roots need room to expand without hitting clay or rock. I plant my slips in early May and typically harvest in late August or September.

What Is Seminole Pumpkin and Why Should Florida Gardeners Grow It?

Seminole pumpkin is a variety of Cucurbita moschata with deep roots in Florida history. The Seminole, Miccosukee, and Calusa peoples cultivated it long before European contact, and for good reason. This squash shrugs off the heat, humidity, and pest pressure that destroy standard pumpkin varieties. The vines are vigorous, often climbing 20 feet or more, and the fruits store for months thanks to their thick skin. Flavor-wise, think butternut squash with a slightly sweeter edge. Plant it now and harvest in late summer or early fall, around 90 to 120 days from planting.

How Do You Handle Pest Pressure in May?

As temperatures rise, so does the pest population. May brings a surge in whiteflies, aphids, and spider mites, especially on any remaining cool-season crops that are stressed and struggling. My approach is straightforward: remove stressed plants promptly rather than nursing them along, because they are pest magnets. For the summer crops going in, I rely on a combination of neem oil sprays applied in early morning, beneficial insect habitat (I keep plenty of flowering herbs around for parasitic wasps and ladybugs), and strong, healthy plants that can tolerate moderate pest feeding.

Spider mites love hot, dry conditions, which might seem counterintuitive for Florida, but they thrive under covered structures and on drought-stressed plants. A strong blast of water on leaf undersides every few days keeps populations in check better than most sprays.

How Does Rainy Season Affect Florida Gardening?

Florida's rainy season typically begins in late May and runs through October, bringing 60 to 70 percent of our annual rainfall in those months alone. This changes everything about how you manage the garden. Mulching becomes essential — I use 3 to 4 inches of pine straw or oak leaves around all my outdoor plantings to prevent soil splash, retain consistent moisture between downpours, and suppress weeds. Raised beds with good drainage become critical, because standing water invites root rot, fungal disease, and mosquitoes.

The upside of rainy season is that you can cut back dramatically on irrigation. I often go weeks without turning on a hose between June and September. The plants that belong here — the sweet potatoes, the okra, the Seminole pumpkins — drink it up and grow like crazy.

Can You Grow Spinach in Florida Summer?

Regular spinach bolts and turns bitter the moment temperatures consistently exceed 80 degrees, which means it is done by mid-April at the latest. But Malabar spinach (Basella alba and B. rubra) is not actually spinach at all. It is a tropical vine that produces thick, succulent leaves with a mild flavor similar enough to spinach that it works in salads, stir-fries, and smoothies. It loves heat, laughs at humidity, and grows as a perennial in South Florida. The red-stemmed variety (B. rubra) is particularly attractive in the garden. Give it a trellis or fence and it will produce all summer long.

The other heat-tolerant option worth mentioning is the Everglades tomato (Solanum pimpinellifolium), a wild species naturalized in South Florida. The fruits are tiny — about the size of a large blueberry — but the flavor is intensely sweet and concentrated. Unlike standard tomatoes that give up when nighttime temperatures stay above 75 degrees, Everglades tomatoes produce through the entire summer with almost no care.

Why Microgreens Are Your Best Summer Crop

While outdoor gardening in Florida summer requires heat-adapted varieties and constant attention to moisture and pests, indoor microgreens remain completely unaffected by the season. Our production at Wholly Water Farms stays consistent year-round because temperature, light, and humidity are all controlled. If you are feeling discouraged by the summer transition outdoors, consider starting a small indoor microgreens setup. Sunflower, radish, and pea shoots all grow beautifully in 7 to 14 days regardless of what is happening outside your window.

May is a month of transition, but it does not have to be a month of frustration. Lean into the crops that belong here, protect your soil with mulch, and let the rain do the watering. Florida summer gardening is not about fighting the climate — it is about working with it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I still plant tomatoes in May in Florida?

Standard tomato varieties will struggle with fruit set once nighttime temperatures stay above 75 degrees Fahrenheit, which happens throughout most of Florida in May. Your best option is the Everglades tomato, a wild cherry type that tolerates summer heat and produces prolifically until frost. Some gardeners also have luck with heat-set varieties like Solar Fire, but expect reduced yields compared to spring.

How deep should I plant sweet potato slips?

Plant sweet potato slips about 4 inches deep, burying at least two to three leaf nodes below the soil surface. Space them 12 inches apart in rows 3 to 4 feet wide. Water well at planting and keep the soil consistently moist for the first two weeks while roots establish. After that, sweet potatoes are remarkably drought-tolerant.

What mulch works best for Florida summer gardens?

Pine straw and oak leaves are both excellent choices for Florida summer mulching. Apply 3 to 4 inches around plants, keeping mulch a few inches away from stems to prevent rot. Mulch suppresses weeds, moderates soil temperature, prevents rain splash that spreads soil-borne diseases, and retains moisture between storms. Avoid dyed mulches and rubber mulch, which can leach chemicals.

When does rainy season start in Florida?

Florida's rainy season typically begins in late May and runs through October. During this period, the state receives 60 to 70 percent of its total annual rainfall, mostly in the form of afternoon and evening thunderstorms. Plan your garden watering schedule accordingly — you may not need supplemental irrigation at all during peak rainy season from June through September.