JOBS IN THE GARDEN
May is always looked forward to as the first month of summer but it also marks the end of spring. It is a month when gardeners can get caught out by mini droughts and heat waves and even the last, late frosts. The biggest threat is young plants that have that have recently been transplanted into the open ground and any freshly emerging seedlings. So be sure to keep all of them well watered and if the young transplants look as if they are flagging give them some shade protection from the heat of the sun or drying winds. On the other hand May can bring damaging frosts, cold winds with heavy rain, so be prepared to take steps to protect plants if it is necessary.
JOBS IN THE
May garden Earth up potatoes Spuds planted in March or early April should be showing long healthy shoots above the compost. By earthing up your potatoes, you can increase the number of potatoes grown from each tuber and protect your spuds from damaging sun exposure. Earthing up is the name given to the process of covering shoots with additional compost. When shoots are showing 10cm above the compost, cover them with more compost to leave just four cm shoots showing at the tip. Repeat this process every time shoots reach 10cm tall.
Stay vigilant on weed watch
Pesky weeds will be popping up faster than your crops as the soil warms up. Check under leaves of crops as well as between rows and gently remove with a weeding fork. Catch weeds while they’re small by hoeing borders and the vegetable garden once a week. Paths, drives and patios can be kept weed-free by spraying with a path weed killer. Many of these prevent weeds returning for several months after they are applied. Perennial weeds, such as dandelions, have roots that will regrow if you just kill the leaves. They will eventually weaken over time if you hoe them off, or you could try to dig out the roots.
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Earthing up potatoes is vital for a healthy crop
How to beat a cold spring The cold start to the season has delayed the planting and slowed the development of many vegetables. Some varieties need a long growing period in which to mature, so it can be helpful to find ways of chivvying them along. Where small numbers of plants are required, planting indoors in modules or pots can protect young, vulnerable plants and enable them to be grown on and planted out as soon as the weather allows. Larger plants are also less susceptible to slug damage than seedlings and so losses are fewer. Cloches will not only keep the soil beneath drier, but also retain the heat from the sun, transforming cold, wet, and claggy soils into warm, crumbly soils that are suitable for sowing into directly. Simple mulches or coverings also warm the soil and can be used with advantage as permanent mulches on certain crops. Carrots, for example, will benefit from the shelter and warmth created by fleece, and will naturally raise the cover as they grow. Tucking in the sides of the fleece also prevents the carrot root fly from entering, minimising crop damage. Potatoes can be planted through a black plastic mulch. This will aid tuber development as well as helping to prevent the soil from drying out. No earthing-up is required, as the tubers will form beneath the black plastic and be shielded from the light. As they develop on the surface, harvesting them merely requires rolling back the plastic, and since the plants can be left in situ, smaller potatoes can often be left to increase in size. Country Gardener