May Garden Jobs

May in the garden

Hopefully we have seen the last frost and can dare to use the word Summer now! Below weâ€™ve listed some key tasks for this month.

Hereâ€™s a summary, but scroll down if you want more information on any of these jobs!

In the Vegetable Plot

Get tomato plants out
Earth up potatoes

In the Flower Bed

Check Roses for Blackspot
Prepare for summer bedding
Cut perennials

Around the Garden

Tie up climbers
Feed and water containers
Top dress permanent top plants

In the vegetable plotâ€¦

Get tomato plants out

Think about getting your tomatoes out. As the weather warms up and the risk of frost has passed, take your small tomato plants from inside and start to plant them out. Find them the sunniest spot you can as this will help them thrive and help maximise crop production.

Earth up Potatoes

Pull soil up around the bottom of your potato plants to stop your new tubers turning green and poisonous. Pull a rake or fork along both sides of the rows of young plants, making a mound of mud around the plant to ensure the tubers arenâ€™t exposed to sunlight.

Call for growing advice

In the flower bedsâ€¦

Check roses for Blackspot

Keep an eye on the foliage of your roses for this fungal disease â€“ aptly named as it causes black spots on the leaves. If you spot any, treat with a systemic fungicide, as left unchecked, it can cause your roses to completely defoliate.

Prepare for summer bedding

Spring flowering plants will be coming to the end of their flowering period now and will need clearing ready for summer bedding. Take out the old plants, dig out the weeds and add some fertiliser to the soil ready for the new batch.

Cut Perennials

Known as the Chelsea chop as it needs doing around the same time as the Chelsea flower show â€“ lower the height of your late flowering perennials to stop them leaning. Pinch out Asters, Helenium and Eupatorium at knee height and they will re-branch to provide you with stockier plants.

Ask for plant advice

Around the gardenâ€¦

Tie up your climbers

With fresh growth really getting underway now, itâ€™s time to tie the shoots of your clematis and other climbers to your walls or trellis. Do the same with climbing and rambling roses, tying them up horizontally to encourage side shoots which will produce more blooms over the coming months.

Feed and water containers

Make sure you regularly water and feed your pots and hanging baskets. Giving them a balanced liquid feed every two to four weeks will help to promote health growth.