May is often considered the high point of gardening. With the arrival of warmer weather, it’s the perfect time to roll up your sleeves and indulge in a variety of horticultural activities. Whether you’re an amateur or an experienced gardener, this ultimate guide to May gardening activities will be of great use to you.
It’s packed with tips and practical advice to help you optimize your green space and make the most of this propitious period. So get your gardening tools ready, and let our expertise guide you in making your garden a true haven of peace.
May soil preparation and maintenance : Key steps
May is the ideal time to prepare your vegetable garden. Start by hoeing the soil to eliminate weeds and promote aeration. Then enrich it with about 2 cm of compost particularly in areas intended for fruiting vegetables such as tomatoes or squash.
Once these steps have been completed, you can start sowing certain hardy vegetables. Throughout the month, be sure to keep the soil moist by watering regularly, especially during hot spells. This meticulous preparation of the soil in May is essential to ensure good growth of your plantations.
Sowing and planting in May : The gardener’s calendar
Early May is a good time to sow hardy vegetables such as spinach, lettuce and carrots. This is also the ideal time to plant asparagus and rhubarb although their first harvest is not expected for another two or three years. From mid-May onwards, it is advisable to gradually acclimatize tomatoes, peppers and eggplants to outdoor conditions, taking care to bring them in at night if necessary.
At the end of the month, you can proceed with the planting potatoes and onions and for transplanting chilly vegetables into the ground, weather permitting. Don’t forget to sow your beans, cucumbers and squash and install stakes or cages to support your tomato plants.
Pest management and flowerbed maintenance in May
In May, it’s all about pest control. If you had problems with insects the previous year, remember to rotate your crops to avoid their reappearance. A regular weeding and careful monitoring will also help prevent the appearance of insect pests.
This is also the ideal time to prepare your flowerbeds and window boxes Add mulch if necessary, prune certain plants that are close to the ground, and divide or relocate perennials in the early stages of growth. Finally, don’t forget that May is a good month for moving trees and shrubs.
