May 2024

JOBS IN THE GARDEN FOR MAY

1 :          Harden off bedding plants and colourful annuals sown in March and pricked off in April to

               start to acclimatise them to outside conditions prior to planting out in their final positions

               from the end of May

 2 :       From mid-month you can sow tender vegetables such as Marrows, Courgettes, Ridge

              Cucumbers and Runner Beans directly into the ground where they are going to grow. It is a

               good idea to sow two seeds per station, placed on their edge not flat, and if both grow, thin

              out to one later on.

3 :        Keep the hoe going between plants when conditions allow to keep down germinating weeds.

4 :        Protect the young growth on your plants from slugs and snails which are now very active.

              What you use is up to you, but protect you must in some way.

5 :        Roses are now growing away strongly and will benefit from regular spraying not only to keep

              down aphids but to reduce the attack of the dreaded fungal disease Blackspot. A product

               such as Roseclear will be able to do both.

6 :        Herbaceous plants which are now producing rapid growth will benefit by the application of a

               balanced general fertilizer such as Blood, Fish and Bone or Growmore spread around the

               plants. It will also prove beneficial if you mulch around your plants with well-rotted manure

              or garden compost. This will help in preventing drying out during the main summer months.

7 :      If you planted Potatoes earlier and they have appeared above soil level, earth them up by

              drawing soil up from each side of the row. This will help to protect the plants from a late

              frost but more importantly reduce the number of forming tubers being exposed to light and

              making then useless.

8 :        As pre-planted summer bulbs such as Lilies and Gladioli increase in height be prepared to

              give additional support to keep them upright.

9 :         It is not too late to still plant Gladioli, certainly up to the very end of the month. If planted on

               a successional routine the flowers can be had from June to late September.

10:      Now is a good time to prune back the over-wintered growth from hardy Fuchsias by cutting

                the stems to near ground level to induce basal growth.

11 :         Early May is the time to sow next spring’s Brassica plants such as Purple Sprouting Broccoli.

                Sown earlier the plants will often get too big and suffer from any hard frosts or wind damage

                during the winter months.

12 :      Regular feeding of any plants being pot grown becomes a necessity. Feed with a balanced

                 general liquid fertilizer or if Tomatoes are your crop use a high potash feed which is a

                 Tomato specific fertilizer such as Tomorite.

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