Jobs to do on your veg plot in May-June
May can be a warm month, but with cold, unsettled spells. Frost can still be a hazard especially early in the month. June heralds midsummer, when weather can be hot, but beware summer storms which can wreak havoc in the garden.
Jobs include the following: –
Plant out tender veg such as runner and French beans, celeriac and courgettes and squashes after mid May if the forecast is warm. Chillies, peppers, aubergines, indoor cucumbers and tomatoes can be planted out in a greenhouse or polytunnel. Leeks, onions, brassicas and salad leaves raised indoors can now be safely planted out once they have been hardened off.
Continue to make successional sowings of mixed salad leaves, lettuces, radishes, rocket and spinach outside when conditions are suitable. Cover with nets or enviromesh if pigeons or other animals are a problem. They are ideal for sowing in pots and other containers in a sheltered spot in your garden;
Successional sowings of carrots, turnips and beetroot can also be made at 2 week intervals if space allows. Thin out earlier sowings and of parsnips. Winter veg such as kale, leeks and savoy cabbages can still be sown in early May.
Tender plants such as basil, chillies, aubergines and peppers should not be planted out until June, and may be better kept in a greenhouse if your plot is exposed.
Earth up potatoes as they emerge. This involves mounding up the earth from either side of the rows to cover the emerging shoots. This protects them against late frost and also prevents the light from getting to the developing tubers and turning them green. First early potatoes are ready to harvest as new potatoes once the flowers appear.
Control slugs and snails to protect young shoots and seedlings.
Harvest asparagus but do not harvest after late June, to allow the plants to recover and give a crop the following year.
Net strawberries and other soft fruit to prevent birds from stealing your crop.
Continue cutting grass, unless you have opted for a ‘no mow May’ in which case wait until wildflowers have finished flowering.
Plant out annuals and bedding plants in pots, troughs and beds. Make sure to keep them well watered especially pots and hanging baskets which will need watering every day, even in showery conditions.
Dahlias, cannas and other tender bulbs, tubers and corms can be planted out once they are big and robust enough to withstand predation by slugs and snails.
Dead head hybrid tea and floribunda roses to keep the display going.
If you need to prune or cut down dense shrubs or hedges, remember to check for nesting birds first. If in doubt, wait until the autumn. Remember it is against the law to knowingly disturb or destroy an active birds nest.
Apples, plums and pears should be thinned out to a maximum of 2 per bunch to allow the fruit to grow to full size and prevent biennial bearing, where the tree only fruits in alternate years.