There is a date that many of us can’t wait for to get started in our gardens. Some say it’s the last frost date while others are waiting eagerly for Mother’s Day. Now that the last frost date has passed, some are preparing to transplant their tender seedlings into the soil. But as most of us know, there can always be a surprise dip in temperature at any time between now and then. Especially at night.

Sowing and Transplanting

Let succession gardening work for you. Last year around this time, we had surprisingly high temperatures and a lot of our brassicas bolted. But this year, we have been getting an abundance of rain and cool days so were are being opportunists by planting a second round of beets, carrots, chard, and greens. We are watching the forecast for warmer temperatures to sow beans, okra, squash, cucumber and sweet corn in the garden. By the end of May, we should be safe to plant almost everything outdoors like warm weather loving crops: tomatoes, eggplant and peppers.

 Spring Garden Weeding

Those pesky weeds have arrived, and they are definitely not going to be leaving anytime soon. Pulling them early makes it much easier to eliminate and control the problem before it becomes a task that we are doing more often than we had planned.

Avoiding Soil Erosion

May rainfall not only brings the necessary watering for our seeds to germinate and tender transplants to grow, but it also can reveal another problem in our garden. Soil erosion! Battling the flow of water verses the gravity that holds the soil in place can be daunting if you don’t have a good soil structure. Add 1-2 inches of mulch such as wood chips, straw or leaf mold to protect the soil and prevent it from blowing loose top soil during strong winds and heavy rainfall.

So many chores and things to think about in May!