Jobs to do in the garden in May
As the trees continue to blossom and the garden becomes more colourful, May is a month when everything really seems to come to life.
Insects will begin to look for flowers and early butterflies will add some more colour.
Hopefully, the sunny days will give you time to sit back and enjoy the garden, but there are still plenty of jobs to keep you occupied this month before the start of summer.
Fertilise
- As the soil begins to warm up, add fertiliser, such as fish blood and bone to borders, containers and any fruit or vegetable plots
- Mulch with bark or well-rotted farmyard manure around new trees, shrubs and flowerbeds
- Feed fruit bushes and canes with a potash fertiliser such as sulphate of potash which promotes flowering and fruiting.
Plant
- Inspect your perennial beds and divide winter iris and other overgrown clumps
- When the soil is warmer plant cornflowers and larkspurs
- Finish planting up tubs, containers and hanging baskets
- Thinly sow carrots and parsley, this stops you from having to remove crowded seedlings
- Leave tomato and pepper plants outside during the day and bring them inside at night to help them acclimatise to being outdoors
- As potato shoots begin to show earth up the soil, this prevents sunlight getting to the tubers, which will turn them green and cause them to be poisonous
- Sow runner beans outdoors
- Continue to sow beetroot, lettuce and radishes as this should help to ensure a continuous supply when it comes to harvest
- Aubergines, cucumbers, melons and peppers can be planted in greenhouses this month.
Like more tips? Check out our pruning and lawn care blog and our additional jobs in May blog.