May is historically the hungry gap in the vegetable garden, because it is the time when the winter crops run out and before the summer crops get going. If you have been well organised, you may have some early crops of salad leaves, broad beans, radishes and even strawberries to harvest towards the end of the month – as well as asparagus, which is at its prime now. But the main focus this month is the sowing, nurturing and tending of your crops, as growth accelerates. Potatoes should be earthed up so the tubers are not exposed to light, while peas and broad beans need supporting with pea sticks or canes and twine as they get bigger. Weeding must be done regularly (little and often is my motto) and, if the weather is dry, watering is essential. It is best done as a thorough soak every few days rather than a scant daily sprinkling. At the start of May, I sow tender crops like tomatoes, cucumbers and courgettes in seed trays and individual pots. I keep these in the greenhouse until later in the month, when it has warmed up and they can go outside. As the month goes on, the focus shifts to planting out. I find it very satisfying to be able to plant a neat row of seedlings along a garden line, rather than try the lottery of direct sowing into the ground, then thinning out. Using the no-dig method, I will have already prepared my beds with a layer of well-rotted compost. Just before planting out, I will rake the bed to break down any larger clods and give the seedlings a better chance of establishing.
My Experience in Starting Seeds
03.05.2024 - 14:14 / backyardgardener.com
A couple of years ago I had an exhausting spring planting season. I started everything from pansies to parsley from seed, and for weeks all I did was run from one windowsill to another with a watering can.I worried constantly about damping off disease. After I put the seedlings outside to harden off, I brought them back in again on stormy nights. Finally, when the last little peat pot was safely stowed in the ground, I resolved never to buy another seed packet again.
It’s always dangerous to say “never.”
At this moment my porch is adorned with four large size seed trays holding innumerable tiny pansies, cosmos, swamp milkweeds, sweet peas, California poppies and nasturtiums. Two nights ago it got so cold that I brought them all in. The next morning I took them all out again. I water them when it doesn’t rain, dump the excess water out when it rains too much, and wonder if the seedlings and I will hold out until April 15, when I will begin planting.
What makes this year different from the endurance contest that was my life two years ago? For one thing, small amounts of moderation and common sense have taken hold. Since I have limited time, space and patience, this year I started my seeds in batches. I have room for one large plastic tray in the cellar under a plant light, and space for two large plastic trays in my pantry on top of the microwave. About a month ago I planted seeds that needed an early start—6-8 weeks before the last local frost date. By the time that first batch was mature enough for hardening off, the weather was turning warmer by fits and starts. The trays could go out in the daytime and even remain there some nights.
When my first crop of infants was mostly up and out, I planted things such as cosmos and
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