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By May we are past the threat of fronts and the weather is definitely getting warmer and drier. We all get much busier this month… sowing, pricking out, potting on, hardening off, planting out, pest watch, sowing some more.
It’s never too early to think about and plan water conservation so we’re not reliant on using hosepipes and mains water.
Sow
A little and often is an effective way to ensure a succession of crops such as: peas, broad beans, radishes, carrots, beetroot, spinach and salad crops.
Sow sweetcorn, runner, climbing and French beans in deep pots under cover for planting out in June. Later in the month you can sow direct into the ground. Dwarf French beans are ideal if you only have a small space available.
Many herbs can be sown direct outside now, such as parsley and coriander.
Sow winter vegetables such as cauliflower, swede, turnips, and purple sprouting broccoli to develop through the summer, then mature from late winter through to next spring.
If you have a shady spot, sow loose-leaf lettuce, chard, spinach, rocket, chervil, chives, parsley, coriander and Asian greens such as mizuna and mustards.
Plant
If not already done, peg last years strawberry plant runners into 9cm pots next to the parent plant. Sever from the parent plant once rooted.
Plant out thyme, marjoram and rosemary as they’re great in the kitchen but also are magnets for pollinators.
Protect
Cover sowings of carrots and parsnips with insect mesh to protect against carrot fly larvae and females laying more eggs.
Prune
Pinch out shoot tips on broad beans once the lowest truss of flowers has formed small pods. This encourages fruiting and helps protect against blackfly.
By pruning trained stone-fruit trees in May and early June you encourage a good shape/form and better crops later. It is best done now so pruning wounds heal quickly and regrowth is stimulated.
Pests
Regularly check gooseberry bushes for gooseberry sawfly caterpillars and pick them off leaves if you find them.
Place pheromone traps in apple and pear trees to help reduce attacks from codling moth that causes ‘maggoty’ fruit.
Use nematodes if you have a large slug problem. They are watered into the ground and can be used on crops at any stage.
Mulch
Earth up potatoes to cover the lower half of stems when they about 20cms. It helps prevent young tubers from going green and poisonous in the light.
Mulch strawberry beds with straw to protect fruit as they form and to keep moisture in the soil.
Harvest
Asparagus spears continue to appear and can grow a few centimetres in a day, so keep on top of cutting before they grow too leggy.
Rhubarb is in season and can be picked once the plants are a year old. A forced rhubarb plant should be left for a year to recover.
Early gooseberries can be ready by the end of the month. Do two pickings – the first to thin and use for cooking. The second a few weeks later will be sweeter.
Weeding
Keep on top of the weeding, especially around onions, leeks and garlic so young plants don’t get crowded out.
In the shed
If you’re looking to replace tools, don’t forget that any old ones can be donated to the shop. We often have new members who would rather start with second hand tools to get them going.
In the greenhouse or polytunnel
Keep the ventilation going, especially on hot days with young seedlings.
For crops that will be grown outdoors, start hardening off the young plants so they can adapt to the chiller, windier and wetter conditions outside. These include chillies, courgettes, cucumbers, peppers, squashes and tomatoes.
Support greenhouse tomatoes, pinch out side shoots or if quite large root them in water for more plants.
Help wildlife
Start thinking about adding in different plants to attract a range of insects to your plot. Lots of the insects will be great pollinators for your crops, including moths. Others will eat any aphids you may have, for example, attracting ladybirds will keep the black fly down on your beans.
If you have a pond, check that it’s not chocked up with too much weed – either duckweed or blanket weed. Remove it but leave it on the side so any aquatics life can crawl back in before you put it on the compost heap.
Pop up nesting boxes and birdfeeders to help through the breeding season. Attracting birds to your plot will encourage them to eat any ants, caterpillars, slugs and snails.
Conserve water
Start thinking about it before you actually need it. Do you have enough water butts to conserve rainfall where you can. Does your shed guttering need fixing to flow properly into a water butt?
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