May can bring some of the nicest weather. There are definitely some warm days and hopefully at this stage the last frosts are finished.
Watch out for nights around the full moon on the 12th – if they are frost-free then things are looking good.
Growth really speeds up with warm wet days and the next three months are all about things growing fast.
This means weeds as well as your cherished plants.
Try to set up some good weeding techniques.
Doing a half hour of hoeing and hand weeding every week is much easier than tackling an overgrown plot after a month of neglect.
Or you could try using a mulch to keep weeds down – I cover bare soil with cut grass clippings.
A word about bees
I seem to have a lot more bumble bees in my garden than usual.
They love some types of blossom more than others.
My quince and berberis have been humming for a few weeks and there is a lot of interest in newly opening lavender flowers.
Bumble bees are more docile than honey bees and they are unlikely to attack you if you don’t harm them.
They do a great job of carrying pollen from flower to flower and should be welcomed as a part of the gardening team.
Try growing cucumbers
There are outdoor varieties, but really these plants do best if they are grown under cover.
Plants are happy in the slightly humid air of a polytunnel and you can be rewarded with great crops from two or three plants.
It isn’t too late to try growing from seed – plants grow fast and you will only be a few weeks behind March sowings.
You should get first cucumbers by late June or early July. For a faster crop, look for small plants to buy.
Make sure to choose all-female varieties (usually F1 types).
Male flowers can lead to bitter fruits if female flowers are pollinated.
I like to grow my cucumbers in a wooden frame.
Ideally I put a bit of straw in the base with a little manure scattered through, then some seaweed and compost on top for a free draining growing medium.
Cucumbers don’t like a dry root run, but roots can rot in a cold wet soil.
Early May is a fine time for planting, provided you can keep plants warm enough.
This may mean covering the frame with a blanket at night.
Hoops and polythene make a good cloche top or you can make a more permanent structure from Perspex or polycarbonate.
A soil warming cable will keep all warm for the first couple of weeks.
Cucumbers need support so use canes or strings as plants grow.
And new roots will push out if you add more compost around the lower stem from time to time.
Stems can be brittle so take care you don’t break them when handling.
Beautiful broom
There are some shrubs that may not last many years, but they are pretty enough to include them in your garden.
Broom is one of these.
The most common type has yellow flowers, rather like gorse, but less prickly. Try to find a white, pink, orange or red flowering variety for something different.
Broom needs a free draining soil and plenty of sun. Dig in some compost before planting.
Plants can grow quite straggly so be sure to prune lightly each spring to encourage a more bushy plant. Plants will flower through May and June.
Look after bumble bees this summer. (Photo: Ben Russell)Broad beans
Early sowings should be flowering well now. Make sure to keep the ground moist so they produce plenty of pods and provide some support along the row so stems don’t flop.
If you love broad beans then you can sow another row of beans now to crop in the summer. Choose a spring sowing variety rather than an autumn one.
Broad beans freeze very well if you have a glut. Blanche beans for one minute in boiling water then plunge into cold water.
Dry the beans a little before spreading on trays to open freeze. Frozen beans can be packed into bags and used as needed. They store well in a freezer for several months.
Cucumber plants grow well in a frame. (Photo: Ben Russell)
Basil
Basil plants can grow well from an early May sowing.
They need to be kept warm, but avoid a soggy compost.
A simpler way to grow basil is to buy a pot of several small plants in the vegetable section of the supermarket.
Split the root-ball into 6-8 pieces with two or three plants in each piece.
Plant each piece in a pot of good compost.
Keep plants above 12C, if possible, and plant out when new root growth is established.
Time to sow
Sweetcorn for a late August crop. Climbing and dwarf French beans. Runner beans. Pumpkins and squash. Lettuce and salad leaves. Spinach. Swiss chard.
