By late May, most risk of frost has passed. Many seeds can now be directly sown outdoors, including carrots, beetroot and outdoor varieties of cucumber. But there's plenty to sow indoors this month, too.

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When sowing, it's worth remembering that the size of the seeds you're using can affect the sowing methods needed. Watch our No Fuss Guides on sowing small seeds and sowing large seeds, to help you along.

Discover which vegetable seeds to sow in May, below.

Beetroot

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If you're new to growing vegetables, beetroot is a good, easy-to-grow option. The seeds don't need much encouragement to germinate and they require little maintenance once established. Beetroot 'Boltardy' is one of the most popular cultivars to grow, but you could also try a more unusually coloured cultivar, such as 'Touchstone Gold'.

Sweetcorn

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Little beats a buttery corn on the cob in summer. May is the last time to sow sweetcorn, to give them plenty of time to grow and ripen.

Cucumber

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By growing your own cucumbers, you'll find out just how much better the flavour is, compared to shop-bought cucumbers.

Sprouting broccoli

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An extremely robust crop, sprouting broccoli produces nutrient-packed, succulent spears, which are perfect for steaming, boiling and grilling. It's easy to grow, and if you grow different varieties, you can harvest broccoli spears throughout winter and into spring.

Carrots

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A tasty addition to both sweet and savoury dishes, carrots are a fantastic, easy-to-grow crop to raise from seed. As well as the classic orange cultivars, you could also try growing colourful cultivars such as 'Yellowstone'.

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Watch out for pests

Pests and diseases like carrot fly can ruin a crop, so make sure you follow our 10 ways to avoid carrot root fly, as well as our problem solving pages on slugs, aphids, courgette rot and cucurbit mildew.
Boots. Photo: Getty Images.
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