Jobs for May

Fruit & Vegetable Growing Guide for May

Generally May is one of the busiest months on the vegetable plot. The soil is warm and the plants growing well. But watch out for a sneaky late frost. Keep an eye on the weather forecast and be prepared for frantic last minute wrapping of fleece to protect tender plants. 

Sowing outdoors

Vegetables

There is a lot to sow this month and with many crops you can sow one set and then a few weeks later re-sow to give you a succession of fresh vegetables at the peak of perfection. If it is a dry May, it is a good idea to soak your seed drill before sowing and then just water with a fine rose after sowing and covering with a fine layer of soil.

• French Beans
• Runner Beans
• Beetroot
• Broccoli and Calabrese
• Cabbage and Cauliflowers
• Chicory
• Kale
• Kohl rabi
• Peas
• Turnips and Swedes
• Your salad crops should be sown in succession
• Lettuce and Leaves such as Rocket
• Radishes
• Spring Onions

Planting Out

If your plants are large enough, you can plant out now:

• Brussels sprouts
• Summer cabbages
• Celery
• Celeriac
• Leeks.

Pests

Don’t forget the slugs are about, if you find an entire row of seedlings have vanished overnight you can bet it was slugs.

With your carrots, covering with a fleece and ensuring the edges are buried will stop the carrot root fly from gaining entry to lay eggs by your carrots. The eggs hatch in larvae that burrow into the carrot root, killing the plant or at least spoiling the crop.

Fruit

It’s mainly a matter of ensuring that you get the crops rather than the birds. A fruit cage is a big investment but very effective, otherwise netting to keep the birds away.

Strawberries planted this year will perform better in subsequent years if you remove the flowers so they don’t set fruit in the first year but concentrate instead on building their strength for next.

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