May Gardening

Fertilizing

The saying goes “April showers bring May flowers”, this isn’t just because it rhymes and sounds good.  May is the flower month.  If your roses aren’t blooming they’re setting their buds for the first show of the season.  Now is an excellent time Read more here

Tomatoes

May is a great month to plant your tomatoes; it is a good idea to add lime to the soil when planting to help prevent blossom end rot.  For more tips on tomato planting go here: How to plant your tomatoes.  With tomato planting season going in full in May, I need to mention an old myth going back many years.  Read more here

Vegetables

May is a big month for planting your vegetables.  Plant your Beans, Swiss Chard, Chives, Corn, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Melons, Okra, Peppers, Pumpkins, Soybeans, Summer Squash, Winter Squash, Tomatoes, and Watermelon.  Plant the vegetables that you use the most of.  Make it a fun project for the whole family.  Gardening is an easy way to burn calories and get something accomplished.  The best part, your exercise will produce healthy food for your family. 

Corn

Planting corn is one of the yearly favorites in our garden, and as with many other things in life there are some helpful tricks I have learned along the way.  Corn is pollenated in the wind.  So plant several plants 12 to 18 inches apart is needed.  It is also helpful to give your plants a gentle shake to help the pollination process along.  I like to plant three crops two weeks apart.  This helps to stretch out the season so that you don’t have a large abundance of fruit all at once. Corn is very easy to grow, and a fun project for kids.  If you have the space you can make your own corn maze.  Large corn plants make for a nice background for family pictures.

Mother’s Day

Mother’s day is the first Sunday in May, and nothing says “Happy Mother’s Day” like a flowering bush or tree.  Head down to your local nursery and pick out a beautiful shrub for Mom.  Roses are nice, but the selection is nearly endless this time of year.  Dogwood trees are a beautiful addition to a slightly shaded yard.  Pick a bush that has great fall color like the snowball bush or burning bush.