MAY
"We come from the earth, we return to the earth, and in between we garden." - Anon
Flower of the month - LILY OF THE VALLEY
- Continue to cut the grass, lowering the blades to the
required height. Let the grass grow longer if you suffer from weeds and moss, this allows the grass to out-compete the intruders. If you're not Organic, apply a weed-and-feed type fertilizer following the
manufacturers instructions, or if you want to keep the cutting to a minimum use a selective weedkiller on its own.
- Bedding plants will be available at garden centres, don't be tempted to buy unless you have a well-lit place, cold frame or greenhouse to keep them until they can be hardened off. They are cheaper now but unless you can care for them, then they will not be the bargain you first thought. If you
can protect them, by all means pot them on or start your hanging baskets indoors for an early display.
The last day of frost is taken to be about the 16th of May in the southern British Isles, but here in Northern Ireland it is the beginning of June. Other suggested indicators are when the first swallow is seen, or a month after the first cuckoo is heard. Also altitude has an effect, approximately 2°C less for each 150 metres (800 feet) above sea level. A 15° south-facing slope is said to be the equivalent of being 30 miles further south.
- Borders should be tidied and herbaceous plants divided by now, so it's time to apply a mulch of compost, well-rotted manure or bark chips - to suppress weed seeds from germinating and to
conserve moisture. Composted bark is probably better as it is less likely to be blown away. (Make sure you remove all weeds before mulching.)
- I try to avoid staking as much as possible, but the taller herbaceous plants such as Delphiniums and Paeonies really need it. I use 'pea sticks', ie. small branches. This year I'm using Dogwood prunings, but any material will do. Imagine the branch as a large open hand comming out of the ground holding the plants up, so place the branches around the plant with a few in the centre of a large clump. It can be difficult to obtain this type of material so if you see your neighbours pruning, ask for the prunings, if you keep them dry through the winter they should last for two or three years. If they are fresh some of them may take root so you may have a few bonus shrubs at the end of the season. I prefer this type of support
as it blends with the plant and 'disappears'.
- By the end of May, or when herbaceous perennials have grown to about half or two thirds their final height, a cultural technique popularly called the Chelsea Chop and be used to restrict the height or delay the flowering period. This is used to co-ordinate flowering with adjacent plantings or more often to reduce the need for staking, eg. with the Sedum, Echinacea, Monarda and Helenium. The stems, which not have flower buds, are cut back to just above a bud or leaf joint where new shooth should break to make a more compact plant that will flower a few weeks later than usual. In more northern gardens this technique may have to be applied next month.
- Grape vines should be producing plenty of new growth. Remove unwanted side shoots so that they are at least 30cm apart and only have one shoot each. Later when the first truss shows signs of development remove any growth two leaves beyond the truss.
- Start to harden-off young plants raised indoors by leaving them out during the day and bring them in at night for a few weeks - watch out for late frosts.
- Tomato plants should be available at garden centres. Try letting the side shoots (that you normally remove), grow to 7.5cm (3 inches) before removing and potting them up in compost. That way you can multiply the number of plants and make tomato growing a more viable proposition.
- Sow runner beans outdoors in a spot which preferably has been prepared earlier with the addition of plenty of organic matter which will retain the miosture thay will require later as the pods develop. However this can be added now at the bottom of a deep trench and the seed planted above them. Erect any support they are to have at this point as it difficult to disentangle them later.
- Sow brassica seeds (cabbage, kale, swede, etc.) - try raising individual plants in pots to allow them to establish a good root system before planting out. That way they should have better resistance to club root disease.
- Keep sowing lettuce, raddish, beetroot and other successional crops to ensure a continuous supply.
- If you are sowing seeds outside make a slit in the soil and fill it with multipurpose compost, then sow into that. Because the compost is sterile it will mean that there are no weed seeds near the seedlings when they appear. Also you can see where you have sown.
|
|
