Make the most of the long weekend by getting your kitchen garden in shape. Here’s what to do this May.
Sow Now
Take advantage of the warmer weather by sowing beetroot, cabbage, carrots, courgettes, French beans, lettuce, peas, radish, and sweetcorn. Start tender crops like chillies and cucumbers under cover.
Plant Now
If seedlings are ready, plant out aubergines, tomatoes, leeks, Brussels sprouts, and courgettes. Prepare the soil with compost and protect from late frosts.
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Harvest Now
Pick asparagus, lettuce, radish, rhubarb, and spring onions. Regular harvesting encourages growth.
Essential Maintenance
- Clear Winter Crops: Clear away the last of the winter veg like chard and leeks to make way for new plantings.
- Hoe Weeds: Keep on top of young weeds to prevent them taking over.
- Earth Up Potatoes: Protect tubers from light exposure.
- Harden Off Plants: Gradually acclimatise tender crops to outdoor conditions.
Pests to Watch
- Carrot root fly: Create barriers or cover carrots with fleece to keep them off.
- Blackfly: Check beans and spinach for outbreaks and squash any clusters.
- Flea Beetle: Water well to keep crops healthy and cover susceptible plants with fleece or insect mesh.
- Asparagus Beetle: Pick off beetles and their larvae and dispose of them in a bucket of water.
Get planting, harvesting, and protecting this Bank Holiday weekend to ensure a productive growing season!
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