May 2024

Dear Home Food Growers, May is a vibrant and busy month in the garden. As we get closer towards summer, our gardens are bursting with growth (also much appreciated vertical growth!) and color. This month's newsletter is packed with tips and advice to help you make the most of your backyard sanctuary and enjoy. 

1. What to Sow

• What better way to start your garden adventure than with a herb party: Basil, parsley, dill can be sown in pots or directly in the garden. Don’t forget the perennial herbs such as sage, oregano, mint, thyme, rosemarie that can be purchased from local nurseries to transplant in your garden directly to enjoy.
• Mid to end-may is the perfect time to sow those heat loving vegetables such as (dwarf / runner) beans, cucumber, courgette for outdoor growing
• If you haven’t already, you can still sow chard, celery, lettuce, beetroot, carrots, spring onions, (overwintered) leeks

2. What NOT to Sow

• Fennel, spinach and mustard greens tend to bolt quickly in the heat, making it less successful for mid-May planting. Suggest to wait for mid-July / August for succession sow
• Radishes can become woody and damaged with flea beetles in the warmer weather and also are prone to bolting. Suggest to wait for late August
• As of mid-May, sowing peas will result in less produce due to heat

3. Jobs to be Done

• Transplant your summer vegetables: It is officially past the frost date with no frost in the forecast. Transplant your tomatoes, peppers, zucchini and later in the month warmth-loving summer vegetable such as cucumbers, summer beans, etc. Watch out for May hail!
• Pests to manage: This month is all about managing slugs and snails. You can do night watch to collect them one-by-one. Alternatively I am now using these cones to provide new seedlings growth in their growth stage (working well!).
• Topping Broad Beans: Once you see enough flowers on your broad beans generally around mid-May, pinch out the tips of broad beans to encourage pod production and reduce aphid infestations
• De-weeding: Regularly check if small weeds are appearing - it is best to immediately remove once you see small seedlings appearing or gently hoe the surface level to proactively manage weeds.