While May is my favourite month of the year it may also be the busiest! I’ve been ardently gardening for years now and yet the sudden vigour of the month always creeps up on me and I find myself rushing to prick out, pot on and plant out while trying to stay on top of all the usual maintenance. (Not to mention the almost daily task of rearranging the greenhouse in an attempt to magically create more space for the growing tender annuals!) Inevitably something falls through the cracks – usually when the sun is bathing the seating area on a Saturday afternoon and I decide that I’m more than happy to see a weed or two if it means I can spend some time searching for growing tadpoles in the pond with my children or sit and listen to bird song with a cocktail in my hand and a dog or two at my feet!
Though in the hope of not falling too far behind I’ve compiled a rough checklist to share with you.
In the Cutting Garden
- Direct sow speedy annuals. (See some recommendations here.)
- Sow biennials, including foxgloves, verbascum and wallflowers.
- If you have space start a second sowing of half-hardy annuals to prolong your harvesting period.
- After the last frosts plant out hardened off half-hardly annuals, including pot-grown dahlias.
- Thin out annual seedlings.
- Keep on top of weeding.
- Deadhead spent narcissi and tulips but leave the foliage to die back naturally. Feeding with a liquid fertiliser will help to promote vigorous growth next year.
- Cut back allium foliage that’s starting to look a little messy.
- Cut back early-flowering Clematis
In the Vegetable Garden
- Sow half hardy annuals including cucurbits and sweetcorn.
- Continue successional sowing of salads and herbs.
- Continue to earth up potatoes.
- Protect soft fruit bushes from birds.
- Keep on top of weeding.
In the Greenhouse
- Plant tomatoes in grow bags or pots with supports already in place (string or frame).
- If you haven’t already, start a watering schedule to make sure your plants don’t dry out.
- Plant companion plants, such as basil and tagetes, with tomatoes to deter pests.
For Furred and Feathered Friends
- Support the No Mow May Challenge, an initiative to delay mowing and improve habitat and food sources for wildlife throughout the month.
- Create habitats for invertebrates by leaving a few untidy areas in the garden with plenty of piles of stones and twigs.
- Keep your bird bath topped up with clean water, especially during dry spells.
Seeds to Sow Now – In the Greenhouse or on a Warm Windowsill
- Cucurbits. Late April to early May is traditionally the time when I sow cucurbit seeds – so pumpkins, squashes, courgettes, cucumbers and melons. It might seem a little late but they do well with the lengthening days and grow so quickly once they get going that I find I harvest at the same time as from plants sown earlier.
- French and Runner Beans. I usually start these in large modules or small pots in the greenhouse to give them an early boost. However they can be sown direct – especially runners, which romp away quite happily once they get going!
- Sweetcorn. I start these at the beginning of the month, sowing one seed to each small pot.
Seeds to Sow Now – In Modules or Trays
- Summer and Autumn Brassicas and Greens. This is rather a big group but for me would include Summer and Autumn cabbages, kale, flowering broccoli, Cima di Rapa anf chard. I start them in modules in a cold frame where I can keep a close eye out for slugs and snails.
- Lettuces and Salad Leaves. I like to keep a steady supply of whole head lettuces growing in modules so that I can pop them into any space that become available in the growing beds.
- Biennials. Now is a fantastic time to sow biennials, such as foxgloves, verbascums and wallflowers, to be ready to flower in your garden next year. It might seem like a long time to commit but they provide wonderful variety in the cutting garden at a time when flowers from herbaceous perennials and annuals can be a little sparse.
- Half-hardy Annuals. These include Antirrhinum (Snapdragons), Amaranthus and Sunflowers. A second sowing of these now may give you flowers all the way to December.
Seeds to Sow Now – Direct
- Root Vegetables. Beetroot. Carrots and Turnips will all germinate quickly in the warm soil. When it’s dry I sow the seeds in a pre-watered drill.
- Lettuce and Salad Leaves. Whether for cut-and-come-again varieties or whole head lettuces I try to sow little and often to avoid bolting or a glut
- Direct down flower Annuals. See my recommendations here.
Note: If you haven’t had chance to sow tomatoes or aubergines yet then save them until next year and head to your local nursery for young plants.
So there’s your monthly round up. Have fun and remember to take the time to smell the (newly blossoming!) roses.
Rebecca x