May – What should I be planting now?

As the threat of frost should now have passed you can plant your half-hardy annuals. Dahlias raised from cuttings should also be planted now. Tall growing herbaceous plants should be stalked and bedding plants should be moved to frames.

You can sow the following plants:

biennials
canterbury bells
foxgloves
wallflowers
sweet williams

The sowings of hardy annuals should be thinned.

Mow your lawn regularly and in different directions. If it is dry make sure you water newly turfed and seeded areas.

Wall-trained fruit trees should be given plenty of water, as should bush and cane fruit. When you can see that the fruit is swelling give the trees a light feed. You should be on the look out for goosebury sawfly and spray if it appears. You should place straw or other material around strawberries.

If you have a greenhouse keep a close watch on ventilation and humidity. You should remove side-shoots from tomatoes and train cucumbers and melons, removing surplus growth and stopping where necessary. The greenhouse should be fumigated at regular intervals to control pests and you may need to provide shading for some plants.

If you have a vegetable patch continue to make sowings of peas, beans, carrots and lettuce. You can also plant out Brussels sprouts towards the end of the month.

Make sure you protect early potatoes from late frosts and stake peas and beans as required. Pinch out the growing points of early sown broad beans after flowering and plant out tomatoes, marrows and melons.

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