Chengdu in May: what to plant
Over the last 5 years, May in Chengdu has run 18.3–27.7°C with about 82 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 Chengdu is actually having, today.
Grow one in Chengdu'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 Feb 7, first autumn frost around Dec 16 — roughly 313 frost-free days. Sow tender crops after the last frost date and make sure they finish before the first.
☀️ About 6.5 h of sunshine a day this month. Within the month it warms by about 3.4°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 Chengdu usually gets, one day at a time — which is why some of these run past the end of the month.
| Crop | Days | Harvest around |
|---|---|---|
| 🌶️ Okra | 67 | Jul 20 |
| 🥒 Luffa | 84 | Aug 6 |
| 🍅 Tomato | 79 | Aug 1 |
| 🥒 Bitter melon | 78 | Jul 31 |
| 🧅 Onion | 52 | Jul 5 |
| 🌿 Amaranth greens | 37 | Jun 20 |
| 🌻 Sunflower | 57 | Jul 10 |
| 🏵️ Marigold | 34 | Jun 17 |
| 🌱 Microgreens | 6 | May 20 |
| 🌿 Garlic chives | 42 | Jun 25 |
| 🥕 Carrot | 45 | Jun 28 |
| 🥬 Bok Choy | 24 | Jun 7 |
Best crops to sow now
- 🌶️ Okra Ideal about 94 days to harvest Recent mean 23.0°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥒 Luffa Ideal about 111 days to harvest Recent mean 23.0°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🍅 Tomato Ideal about 100 days to harvest Recent mean 23.0°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥒 Bitter melon Ideal about 102 days to harvest Recent mean 23.0°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🧅 Onion Ideal about 59 days to harvest Recent mean 23.0°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌿 Amaranth greens Ideal about 43 days to harvest Recent mean 23.0°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌻 Sunflower Ideal about 67 days to harvest Recent mean 23.0°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🏵️ Marigold Ideal about 38 days to harvest Recent mean 23.0°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🌱 Microgreens Ideal about 6 days to harvest 🪴 Windowsill pot — sheltered from outdoor weather
- 🌿 Garlic chives Good about 48 days to harvest Recent mean 23.0°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥕 Carrot Good about 50 days to harvest Recent mean 23.0°C — right in the sweet spot
- 🥬 Bok Choy Good about 25 days to harvest Recent mean 23.0°C — right in the sweet spot
Leave these for another month
- 🌿 Coriander — 26 day(s) of heat stress
- 🫘 Broad bean — Recent mean 23.0°C is too hot (ideal 6–22°C)
- 🥕 Parsnip — Recent mean 23.0°C is too hot (ideal 6–22°C)
Other months in Chengdu
📍 Somewhere else? Look up your own city →
Temperature and rainfall come from Open-Meteo's historical observations for Chengdu, 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.