GreenlyMoon planting calendar for May 2026
May 2026: new moon 16 May at 20:01, full moon 1 May at 17:23 and 31 May at 08:45 (UTC). By folk tradition, crops that fruit above the ground are sown on the waxing moon (18–29 May), root crops and bulbs on the waning moon (3–14 May); the days around the new and the full moon are left without sowing.
Folk tradition, not supported by science. Greenly’s dates follow your frost dates and the soil.
Phases of the moon
- Full moon — 1 May at 17:23 UTC
- Last quarter — 9 May at 21:11 UTC
- New moon — 16 May at 20:01 UTC
- First quarter — 23 May at 11:11 UTC
- Full moon — 31 May at 08:45 UTC
Times are in UTC (Coordinated Universal Time): add your own offset — for example +1 h in winter in Central Europe. Phases worked out with Meeus’s method, accurate to a few minutes.
Day by day
| Day | Moon | Lit | Folk advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 | Full moon · 17:23 UTC | 99% | harvest |
| Sat 2 | Waning moon | 100% | harvest |
| Sun 3 | Waning moon | 98% | roots and bulbs |
| Mon 4 | Waning moon | 94% | roots and bulbs |
| Tue 5 | Waning moon | 89% | roots and bulbs |
| Wed 6 | Waning moon | 81% | roots and bulbs |
| Thu 7 | Waning moon | 72% | roots and bulbs |
| Fri 8 | Waning moon | 62% | roots and bulbs |
| Sat 9 | Last quarter · 21:11 UTC | 52% | roots and bulbs |
| Sun 10 | Waning crescent | 41% | roots and bulbs |
| Mon 11 | Waning crescent | 31% | roots and bulbs |
| Tue 12 | Waning crescent | 21% | roots and bulbs |
| Wed 13 | Waning crescent | 13% | roots and bulbs |
| Thu 14 | Waning crescent | 7% | roots and bulbs |
| Fri 15 | Waning crescent | 3% | rest |
| Sat 16 | New moon · 20:01 UTC | 0% | rest |
| Sun 17 | Waxing crescent | 1% | rest |
| Mon 18 | Waxing crescent | 3% | above-ground crops |
| Tue 19 | Waxing crescent | 8% | above-ground crops |
| Wed 20 | Waxing crescent | 14% | above-ground crops |
| Thu 21 | Waxing crescent | 23% | above-ground crops |
| Fri 22 | Waxing crescent | 32% | above-ground crops |
| Sat 23 | First quarter · 11:11 UTC | 42% | above-ground crops |
| Sun 24 | Waxing moon | 53% | above-ground crops |
| Mon 25 | Waxing moon | 63% | above-ground crops |
| Tue 26 | Waxing moon | 73% | above-ground crops |
| Wed 27 | Waxing moon | 82% | above-ground crops |
| Thu 28 | Waxing moon | 90% | above-ground crops |
| Fri 29 | Waxing moon | 95% | above-ground crops |
| Sat 30 | Waxing moon | 99% | harvest |
| Sun 31 | Full moon · 08:45 UTC | 100% | harvest |
What the folk calendar says
- Above-ground crops: By folk tradition: sow and plant what fruits above the ground — tomatoes, cucumbers, greens.
- Roots and bulbs: By folk tradition: root crops and bulbs, pruning and weeding.
- Rest: By folk tradition: a day to rest — no sowing or transplanting.
- Harvest: By folk tradition: no sowing; a good time to harvest.
Sowing by your frost dates
Greenly does not move a single date by the moon: sowing and planting dates come from ten years of frost data for your place and the soil temperature each crop needs.
- Frost dates by city
- What to plant in May
- What to plant in May in the Northeast and Midwest
- What to plant in May in the South
- What to plant in May in Texas
- What to plant in May in Florida
- What to plant in May in California
- What to plant in May in the Pacific Northwest
- What to plant in May in the Southwest
- What to plant in May in the Mountain West
- What to plant in May in Canada
- What to plant in May in the UK
- What to plant in May in Ireland
When is the new moon in May 2026?
May 2026: 16 May at 20:01 (UTC).
When is the full moon in May 2026?
May 2026: 1 May at 17:23 and 31 May at 08:45 (UTC).
Which days are good for sowing by the moon in May?
By folk tradition, crops that fruit above the ground on 18–29 May, root crops and bulbs on 3–14 May.
