What To Plant In Your Garden In May

Your guide to What to Plant In Your Garden In May: planting flowers, planting vegetable and jobs to do.

What to plant in your garden in May. The clocks have changed and it’s staying lighter, later. The risk of frost has passed (though this is the UK, so who knows, we may be building snowmen in a few weeks). But May is a great time to start planting and sowing as well as starting to get back in the routine of pruning and general  garden care.

What Fruit To Plant In May

• Alpine Strawberry seedlings – be warned, this are not like regular strawberries and can be tricky to grow.
• Regular strawberries can also be sown around this time.
• Transport young rhubarb from inside to out.

What Vegetables To Plant In May

Time to plant some exciting veg outside. We’ve had the most success with sowing:

• Cucumbers, French Beans and Runner Beans directly into prepared beds.
• Sweet corn. When sowing ensure you place in blocks with space of around 20inchs between each hole. Two sweet corn seeds per hole.
• Cauliflowers and Purple Broccoli ready for winter.
• Kohlrabi – A wild cabbage / turnip type vegetable that can be enjoyed in it’s raw form or cooked. Perfect for adding crunch to a salad or coleslaw as well and in soups (check our some great ideas here: http://www.marthastewart.com/1033766/kohlrabi-recipes#349325).
• Witloof Chicory can be sown ready for winter.
• Get tomatoes that have previously been under cover or inside, outside! With the risk of frost none to minimal in May, it’s now the perfect time for Tomatoes.
• Brussels sprouts for winter.

Tips: Ensure you lay some weed control fabric in your vegetable beds to eliminate weeds strangling your crops.  Keep an eye for signs of frost. Purchasing horticultural fleece should provide sufficient protection

What Flowers to Plant In May Sunflowers

• Nasturtiums (in pots or in borders and containers).
• Poppies, Cornflowers and Scabious. Which all attract bees and butterflies.
• Godetias
• Candytuft
• Limnanthes
• Linaria
• Nigella

Garden Problems In May

• Beetles on crops. Remove by hand.
• Protect carrots from flies with mesh.
• Slugs, use your preferred deterrent.
• Pigeons love peas!
• Pick yellow leaves off crops as this can spread mould.
• Apple Sawfly and Capsid Bugs.
• We advise putting up moth traps in trees.
• Pigeons and other birds LOVE your fruit crops, such as Raspberries. Fine mesh cover can help or various other bird protection.
• Keep on top of weeds with Weed Control Fabric in your beds, raised beds and plant and crop areas.