Time is galloping on and we’re halfway through both the month and the weekend already! Many of my neighbours are lamenting the loss of a few of their tender seedlings to the recent cold snap, with pictures of poorly pumpkin plants circulating on the street’s WhatsApp group. The sunflower seedlings I planted out a couple of weeks ago are visibly shivering, but still hanging in there.
I am congratulating myself on being too disorganised to have started hardening anything off outside. However, I shall get my courgettes into the cold frame this week, and gradually start acclimatising them by lifting the lid gradually, during the daytime, but keeping it closed at night. Here are some other tasks I’ll be tackling;
Flowering plants and shrubs
The foliage from the spring bulbs is finally yellowing, so it’s definitely time to remove it. As well as looking unsightly, this decaying foliage makes a cosy home for slugs and snails, which I don’t want to attract in too large a quantity. If any of your long-standing daffodils didn't flower as well as you expected, it may be because the clumps of bulbs have become too congested. Carefully lift and divide them and replant them at three times their own depth.
Tie in any new growth on climbing plants such as honeysuckle, clematis and wisteria. There’s been a chilly and strong breeze this last week, so hopefully it hasn't already trashed any of the as-yet unsupported new shoots on my various Clematis’. Speaking of wind, even though the temperature has been much cooler recently, the wind has a profound drying effect on plants; it is imperative to keep up with the watering, particularly on newly planted shrubs, until they get established.
Grass
Did you know that this is no-mow May? Well, I’d already mowed once before discovering this but I shall endeavour to hold out on mowing again until June now (I don’t need much of an excuse). This allows the wild flowers to get established sufficiently to provide nectar for the all-important pollinators.
If you are offended by the apparent ‘untidiness’ of long grass, you can always mow a strip around the lawn’s edges, or mow the diagonals, or a pathway through the middle, to give the impression of having given the lawn your attention whilst retaining the valuable flowering grasses and wild flowers. When you do come to mow, mow in a different direction to the previous cut, and don’t cut it too short.
Fruit and veg
I don’t have a greenhouse and although I’ve sown a few seedlings on the spare room windowsill, they tend to get a bit leggy and etiolated, even if I rotate their pots every day. I’m better off just holding on for another week or so, and sowing straight into the ground outside. I’ll be going for climbing French beans and perpetual spinach. I’ll also be planting my (hardened-off) courgettes in the new raised bed. They are pretty nutrient-hungry though, so I’ll be turning out last year’s compost bin and digging that into the soil, before transplanting them.
My pea plants are now tall enough to need a few twiggy sticks for support. I’m also trying to get in to the habit of watering all my fruit and veg with tomato feed once a week, to give the flower and fruit formation process a bit of a boost. Check for pests, and give plants a good blast with the hose if you spot any. Pinch out the tips of broad beans, to discourage black fly.
Hedges
Finally, it’s coming up to the time when the hedges need a clip. Just a reminder to check really carefully for active birds’ nests before working on hedges. It is an offence against the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to disturb or cause intentional harm to any nesting bird (yes, even pigeons!). Keep your eyes peeled for birds carrying nesting material, and making repeated trips to and from the same hedge or shrub location. Avoid working on the hedge until you are sure that the fledglings have left the nest.
