Jobs of the Month
May 2021
It's not often we talk about frosts and drought in the same sentence but that was April for you. As we enter May we are hoping for warmer weather where we can start to see progress in the garden. There's a lot to do!
Here are some jobs you can be doing this month:
Earth up your potatoes
If you are growing your potatoes in pots or the ground then you need to earth up your potatoes as they grow.
The leafy growth will pop through the soil and it's these shoots that need protecting from the frosts.
Using a rake or spade, drawn the soil from the side of the row of potatoes and put it directly on top of the leafy green tops until they have disappeared. This is called earthing up.
Repeat this process at least 2 or 3 more times during their growing process.
Make a hanging basket
Sit your basket on a bucket or pot to stop it from rolling around. Line your basket with a liner. Moss liners are readily available and the easiest to use.
Make small incisions in the liner around the bottom and insert plug plants from the outside so that you don't damage the green tops. Fill with compost and continue around all the edges until it's filled up to the top.
On the top of the basket fill with your final few plants and water. Don't hand outside until the chance of frost has disappeared.
Traditional baskets are planted up with plug plants but you could make yours with herbs or fruit.
Easy peasy tasks
Tie in new growth from climbing plants
Prune Ribes once finished flowering
Make it a weekly ritual to weed and keep it up!
Pick Rhubarb and cut down any flowers and discard
Ventilate your greenhouse during the day
Pinch the tops out of Sweet Peas
Keep the veg patch watered if dry
Plant out your Dahlias if there is no frosts