Garden Tips for May

Spring is in the air!

Following a mixed month where we saw a glimpse of every seasonal weather front from snow to sun, May looks to be a little more settled, which is great news for the garden.

This month we need to sow, sow, sow, but also feed and weed.

Pests are on the rampage and furry friends turn from loveable rogues into firm enemies as new shoots become particularly tasty and freshly hoed soil becomes a favourite place to rest!

With three bank holidays for many of us, it is the perfect way to spend extra time in the garden. Spring is definitely in the air!

The veggie patch:
It’s all go in the greenhouse, allotment, and garden as we look to plant out and direct sow this year’s crops.
• There is still the potential of late frosts in May, so keep cucumbers, chillies, peppers, and tomatoes in the greenhouse for a little longer.
• Direct sow carrots, lettuce, and spinach and thin out as they start to grow. Sow little and often to prolong the harvest.
• If thinning out carrots, add a protective fleece to ward off carrot fly.
• Plant out peas, garlic, onions, runner beans and broad beans.
• Put in supports for broad beans and pinch out new growth shoots at the base of the plant to strengthen.
• As peas start to grow, add in supports and cover with netting to keep birds at bay.
• If you’ve planted asparagus, beetroot, and cabbages early in the season, now is the time to harvest.

Fruits:
• Protect soft fruits such as strawberries with a fleece.
• Caned soft fruits such as blueberries and raspberries can be protected by either building a structure around them and surrounding with netting, or a fleece cover.
• Place Vitax Apple Maggot Monitoring Traps and Vitax Plum Maggot Monitoring Traps in apple and plum trees to prevent maggot damage to apple, pear and plums. To find out more, take a look at Andy McIndoe’s blog on how to control apple and plum maggots.

Flowers:
As we switch from winter to spring and early summer flowers, there is plenty to do to keep the garden looking healthy and colourful.
• If you haven’t already, plant annuals such as cornflowers and sunflowers.

• Plant summer hanging baskets and use a slow-release or specialist feed such as Tub & Hanging Basket Feed. If you want to add something different to your baskets, add strawberry plants as they make a great, colourful addition.
• Hostas are a slug’s favourite meal. Protect with a deterrent such as Slug Gone and divide clumps to invigorate growth.
• Keep an eye out for powdery mildew on plants such as rhododendrons. Use a protective barrier spray such as Organic Plant Guard which will help prevent fungal spores attaching to leaves and the laying of eggs by insects.
• Be vigilant and carefully look out for black spot, particularly on roses. Use a good feed or tonic such as Rose Guard Rose Tonic to maintain healthy plants.
• Whilst pruning normally takes place when a plant is dormant, prune flowering shrubs once the flowers have stopped blooming.
• Prune over-crowded and dead stems on clematis. Do not hard prune when in flower.
• Refresh pots and containers with a top dress of Vitax Q4 All Purpose Plant Food to add some nutrients back into the soil or use a liquid feed such as Vitax Organic All Purpose Plant Food.
• If you have planted dahlias, protect new shoots from late frosts.
• Towards the end of the month plant out summer bedding.

Weed, Feed and Water
• As the weather gets warmer, plants will need regular watering. To get the most benefit, water early-morning or mid-late evening.
• Plants need regular feeding as they grow. There are a range of fertilisers and feeds that can be used. Take a look at our ‘Choosing the Right Fertiliser’ blog to see which may suit your plants and crops best.
• It’s true that as plants grow, so do weeds! Keep on top of weeds with weekly weeding. This may need to become more regular as the growing season gets in full flow.

Pests at their best:
• Deter rabbits from taking a nibble on your new shoots and lawned areas by using a natural deterrent such as Stay Off Rabbit Repellent.
• Similarly, use Stay Off Scatter Pellets to deter cats and dogs from digging up your flowers and crops.
• Slugs and snails will be making their regular appearance, especially after some much needed rain during the warmer months. Apply Slug Gone to stop them in their tracks.

Other gardening jobs:
• Lawns should be mowed on a regular basis; but keep the cut high to encourage growth.
• Ventilate greenhouses and paint Vitax Summer Cloud Greenhouse Shading on the external glass to protect plants from direct sunlight.
• Clip evergreen and buxus to maintain shape.

May is one of the busiest months in the garden, but also one of the most rewarding! Happy Spring Bank Holiday to you all.