May Gardening Tips from Jo

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The merry month of May!

May is the month when we start to truly feel that summer isn’t far away! There’s plenty to get on with in the garden, as Otter’s gardening expert Jo explains.

We’re all feeling the benefits of longer days and (hopefully) warmer weather. As we move towards the summer months, there are lots of jobs to be getting on with to make sure you can appreciate your garden at its best when you’re enjoying al fresco drinks or dining, or just relaxing in the sunshine. And it’s also worth putting a little planning into the autumn months to come.

Edibles

If you planted potatoes in April, earth them up! If you’re not familiar with the process, it’s not complicated. You usually do this when the growth is around 20 cm in height. Draw soil up on either side to almost cover the foliage. This will protect the plants from any late frosts and stop tubers near the surface from turning green. It’s also a very satisfying task!

Once the weather is warm enough, you can plant out tomatoes, sweetcorn, cucumbers, chillis, marrows, courgettes, runner and French beans. It’s usually best to leave this until later in the month, again to avoid those late frosts.

For indoor tomatoes, check if they already have trusses and setting fruit. If so, start to feed with a specialist tomato feed. This contains nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium to encourage growth. Some people like to make their own, using things like wood ash, banana peels and Epsom salt. You can search online for ideas.

You can start enjoying the fruits of your labours this month – crops that should be ready to harvest include lettuce, spring onions, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, rhubarb (pick around a third of the stems only), beetroot, radish and peas. You can also start harvesting asparagus – cut the stems from 5cm below the soil.

Use straw to protect strawberry plants. This helps with weed control and keeps the berries off the ground. Garden birds will be interested in your fruit crops, so invest in garden netting to deter them!

Flowers

Those lovely daffodils and tulips will have gone over by now. Although they may look untidy, you can tie up the foliage and let it die back naturally. Give them a liquid feed, too. Then you should get a a good showing again next spring.

You can take out spring bedding such as forget me nots and wallflowers that have faded and add them to the compost heap or green waste collection bin.

Plant sunflower seeds in individual 10cm pots to get them started off. They grow fairly quickly, so plant them out when they’ve grown into good, sturdy plants, a foot/30cm tall. As their name suggests, they love a sunny spot. Plant them nice and deep and start staking immediately – you can add taller stakes as they grow.

Start to harden off annuals and other seedlings ready to plant out. Put them out during the day and bring them in at night to get them acclimatised. Generally you’ll only need to do this for a week to 10 days. Pre-planted tubs and baskets can go out now.

You may be tempted to plant out summer bedding. While this might be okay, I would usually recommend holding off a little longer, until the end of the month. It would be a real shame if a frost caught your tender plants.

Sweet peas should be getting stronger and taller now. Train them by tying them into a vertical support – there are lots of lovely design ideas for climbing frames, or you can keep it simple with canes or hazel sticks. Tie them in regularly to encourage stronger growth.

If you’ve brought on Canna lilies and dahlias in the greenhouse, these can be planted out into borders.

General tips

  • If you have wooden garden furniture, apply wood treatment. If the furniture is past it’s best, perhaps it’s time to look at a new set. We have lots of options, including long-lasting, easy care resin wicker sets.
  • Keep mowing lawns regularly now and lower the setting for a neater cut. You can add a summer lawn feed to help your lawn look even more verdant.
  • Invest in a water butt or two, and make sure you have good quality watering cans available. Only water when necessary.
  • Clean birdbaths and bird feeders regularly.
  • Keep an eye on pests and weeds. Vigilance now will help your garden look at its very best in the summer months.
  • Maintain venting your greenhouse especially on hotter days. You can apply shade paint if necessary.

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