Job assignments scheduled for the month of May
As the days grow longer and warmer, May is a bustling month for allotment enthusiasts, with a focus on protecting and nurturing courgettes and runner beans to ensure a bountiful harvest.
**Courgettes**
May marks the perfect time to start sowing or transplanting courgette plants outdoors, once the risk of frost has passed. These frost-sensitive plants thrive in well-prepared soil enriched with organic matter. To protect them from frost damage, use fleece supported by hoops to create an insulating microclimate, allowing for essential air circulation.
General care for courgettes includes maintaining moist but well-drained soil, and regularly checking for pests. Removing any diseased leaves will promote healthy growth.
**Runner Beans**
Sow runner bean seeds directly outdoors in mid to late May, once the soil has warmed up sufficiently. Sturdy supports, such as canes or trellises, should be put up early on to allow the plants to climb as they grow. Maintaining consistent moisture while avoiding waterlogging, and regularly removing weeds, are key to their growth. Monitor for pests and diseases, intervening early to maintain healthy plants.
**General Allotment Tasks**
May is also the time to sow companion flowers like cosmos, calendula, and chamomile nearby to attract pollinators and beneficial insects, improving overall garden health. Weeding should be continued to keep on top of weeds, and outdoor sowings should be protected with fleece, especially during cold nights.
Potatoes planted up last month need to be earthed up this month, creating a ridge about 15cm high to prevent tubers from turning green and protect foliage from frost damage. Lettuce, radish, spinach, beetroot, and parsnips can be sown directly outside.
Greenfly can be found on lettuce and carrots, while blackfly may appear on broad beans. Protecting against carrot fly is essential when sowing carrots.
For those who need assistance in protecting young veg plants in spring, consider using cloches or fleece. Hold off planting young plants if the weather is cold, and protect them from cold or windy weather with a cloche or fleece.
The Forest Wooden Obelisk can be bought at Homebase, and fleece can be purchased from Amazon for protecting outdoor sowings. Find out more about protecting young veg plants in spring for a successful allotment season.
In the thriving period of May, it's advisable to sow courgette plants outside once the frost risk subsides, nurturing them in well-prepared soil supplemented with organic matter. Simultaneously, one should consider sowing home-and-garden companions like cosmos, calendula, and chamomile to attract beneficial insects.
For a bountiful harvest of runner beans, sow the seeds directly outdoors in mid to late May, providing early support for them to climb. Maintain the lifestyle of a dedicated allotment gardener by staying vigilant for pests and diseases, ensuring a healthy home-and-garden ecosystem.
