Beijing in May: what to plant
Over the last 5 years, May in Beijing has run 15.3–27.5°C with about 55 mm of rain across the month. Here is what weather like that will carry to harvest.
Everything above is a five-year average. In the game it is this — the weather Beijing is actually having, today.
Grow one in Beijing's weather right now →❄️ No sub-zero nights in May in the last 5 years — frost is not the limiting factor here.
🗓️ This month sits inside the frost-free window. Average last spring frost around Mar 21, first autumn frost around Nov 11 — roughly 235 frost-free days. Sow tender crops after the last frost date and make sure they finish before the first.
☀️ About 9.4 h of sunshine a day this month. Within the month it warms by about 4.1°C from the first ten days to the last.
Sow this month — when would you harvest?
Assuming you sow in mid-May, then adding up the warmth Beijing usually gets, one day at a time — which is why some of these run past the end of the month.
| Crop | Days | Harvest around |
|---|---|---|
| 🫛 Edamame | 74 | Jul 27 |
| 🥒 Cucumber | 61 | Jul 14 |
| 🎃 Pumpkin | 71 | Jul 24 |
| 🥢 Yardlong bean | 69 | Jul 22 |
| 🌻 Sunflower | 57 | Jul 10 |
| 🏵️ Marigold | 35 | Jun 18 |
| 🌿 Amaranth greens | 38 | Jun 21 |
| 🌱 Microgreens | 6 | May 20 |
| 🥬 Bok Choy | 25 | Jun 8 |
| 🌿 Garlic chives | 43 | Jun 26 |
| 🧅 Onion | 52 | Jul 5 |
| 🥕 Carrot | 45 | Jun 28 |
Best crops to sow now
- 🫛 Edamame Ideal about 106 days to harvest Recent mean 21.4°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥒 Cucumber Ideal about 91 days to harvest Recent mean 21.4°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🎃 Pumpkin Ideal about 101 days to harvest Recent mean 21.4°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥢 Yardlong bean Ideal about 105 days to harvest Recent mean 21.4°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌻 Sunflower Ideal about 75 days to harvest Recent mean 21.4°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🏵️ Marigold Ideal about 42 days to harvest Recent mean 21.4°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌿 Amaranth greens Ideal about 49 days to harvest Recent mean 21.4°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌱 Microgreens Ideal about 6 days to harvest 🪴 Windowsill pot — sheltered from outdoor weather
- 🥬 Bok Choy Good about 28 days to harvest Recent mean 21.4°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌿 Garlic chives Good about 52 days to harvest Recent mean 21.4°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🧅 Onion Good about 65 days to harvest Recent mean 21.4°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥕 Carrot Good about 55 days to harvest Recent mean 21.4°C — right in the sweet spot
Leave these for another month
- 🌿 Rocket — 30 day(s) of heat stress
- 🌿 Spinach — 26 day(s) of heat stress
- 🫛 Peas — Recent mean 21.4°C is too hot (ideal 7–21°C)
Other months in Beijing
📍 Somewhere else? Look up your own city →
Temperature and rainfall come from Open-Meteo's historical observations for Beijing, averaged day by day over the last 5 years. Whether a crop finishes in time is worked out from its own starting temperature and heat requirement — those numbers are listed on each crop page if you want to check them.