Learn what you can do in your garden in the month of May and help your garden grow!
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Garden Tasks In May
May is probably one of the busiest times in a homesteader’s calendar! The last of the frosts are passing which means we’re pushing to get plants out in the garden and get things growing ASAP. So let’s talk about some gardening tasks in May that help to get your garden on the right track.
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Turn Your Compost
May’s weather is usually starting to get warmer and the days are getting longer so give your compost heap a bit of love. Turn your compost to add in air, mix up materials and check to see how much moisture is there. Take out compost that is ready and spread it on the garden beds. 2 inches of compost added to the garden bed will help your plants grow healthy and strong!
Your compost isn’t ready yet?
I’m going to share a little tip with you when it comes to spreading compost. If you have compost that is mostly broken down but there are some bits that you can still tell what it is, maybe bits of straw or grass clippings and stuff, there are a couple of plants that don’t mind this compost that is not quite finished yet.
Tomatoes are great and can be planted in this not quite fully composted compost so if you are looking at your seedlings and starting to worry that if you don’t get them out in the ground soon you won’t have a harvest, then spread the not quite fully composted compost on your garden bed. Use a gardening fork or a hand cultivator or trowel to turn in the compost. By that I mean you are mixing the partially composted material into the top 1 – 8 inches of soil then plant your tomato seedlings into it. Another plant that does quite well with the not quite fully composted compost method is winter squash, as do sunflowers and peas. As things break down it will feed the plants.
Learn more about composting in this post.
Take Notes
Record notes in your garden journal. Taking notes about the weather, when you planted, what you planted and where is going to provide you with more information in the coming growing seasons to refer back to as you hone growing your own food on your land.
Tackle The Weeds
Get ahead on weeds. Grab your garden hoe and hoe out the weeds whilst they are small and before they become a thicket! Hoeing each week in the garden will help to keep weeds manageable. Trust me! Dealing with small weeds is waaay better than when they are big!
Learn how to manage a big patch of weeds in this post.
Air Out Frost Protection
Air your row covers and greenhouse. If you have plastic hoop houses, cold frames, or a greenhouse open them up and air them out on warm sunny days. Things will get hot fast undercover now the frosts are starting to pass. Allowing the air to circulate will help to reduce fungal disease problems these can wreak havoc in a greenhouse or polytunnel.
Get Planting
This is the one you were waiting for I’m sure! Check out what you can grow in your zone below:
Zones 3-5
Sow carrots, lettuce, kale, onions, leeks, peas, & spinach outdoors If your soil is warm then sow beets which should grow quickly if sown towards the end of May. You can also plant broccoli, kale, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower plants outdoors. Start an asparagus or rhubarb patch for perennial seasonal favorites that will grow and get better over the years.
Zones 6-7
Direct sow warm weather crops (summer squash, beans, corn, sorghum, winter squash, cucumbers, etc.) when soil temp is 60+ degrees and all danger of late frosts has passed. I have a top tip to tell you which applies to other growing zones too! If you sow seeds one week then wait 2 weeks and sow another set you are successional sowing which means that you will have a continual harvest.
You can successionally sow many varieties of carrots, beans, beets summer squashes, leeks, lettuce, radishes, spring onions or scallions, and even corn up to July in some areas. Then start successionally sowing crops for your fall garden from midsummer through to September. Crops like carrots, lettuce, beets, cabbage, kale, rutabaga, leeks all the good hearty winter vegetables.
Plant tomatoes, peppers, basil, rosemary, cilantro, okra, eggplant, and other warm-weather loving plants. Plant early potatoes and marigolds too! Melons, watermelons, and those plants that thrive on the soil temperatures being super warm should be transplanted towards the end of May.
Zones 8-9
Sow beans, plant maincrop potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers.
Zones 10 and above
Plant celery, tomato, eggplant, & pepper outdoors. PSow Malabar spinach, long beans or Asian beans, and other plants that can handle the heat. Continue to earth up potatoes.
Check For Uninvited Guests
Check your garden for pests and diseases. Walkthrough your garden and check it regularly. The sooner you spot an issue like mildew, leaf spot, rust or blight, or signs of pests like aphids, cutworm eggs under a leaf or a slug and snail trail, and no beans where you know you planted beans then the sooner you can start to take care of the issue.
Watering Strategy
Make sure your watering system is working. Not everyone has sprinklers. I water my garden with a watering can to try and conserve water. Make sure your irrigation and watering systems are working properly before the heat sets in. Your garden is going to need water for your seeds to germinate and your plants to grow. If you planted fruit trees in fall or winter last year, keep them on a regular watering schedule to help them get established.
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