liviosMay is the spring month par excellence. Everything looks fresh and green and your garden is colored by new flowers. Your vegetables will continue to grow in the vegetable garden and you no longer need to be afraid of frost. That means that there are quite a few chores to check off. Bouwsite Livios asked garden expert Bart Verelst what the calendar for May looks like exactly.
Ice saints heralds the end of the frost period
Ice Saints is the period between 11 and 15 May. It is an important moment from a meteorological point of view. “After Ice Saints you can be sure that there will be no more frost at night,” explains Verelst. “That means you no longer have to worry about frost damage to your plants.”
In other words, you can remove all frost protection. You no longer need to protect trees with sensitive blossoms against freezing temperatures.
Bad earthworks? Wrong plant choice? You should absolutely avoid these beginner mistakes when laying out your garden.
In May, the vegetable garden takes center stage
Once the month of May has arrived, you can therefore assume that the soil has already warmed up considerably. “Anyone who has planted potatoes or asparagus in the vegetable garden can now start to dig them up, put them in mounds,” says Verelst. “You can also sow and plant everything in May. Tomatoes and bell peppers, for example, but also bok choy or plants that grow quickly, such as lettuce and radishes.”
Our garden expert also shares useful tips for your vegetable garden. “Make sure you have new lettuce and radish plants ready as soon as you can harvest the first generation. This is how you make optimal use of the vegetable garden,” he advises. “And I also recommend planting marigolds and basil between your tomato plants. This way you keep insects away and your vegetable garden immediately looks a bit happier.”
Moreover, May is also a top month to start harvesting herbs. “Herbs that you harvest at the start of the season taste a lot fresher,” says Verelst. “So don’t wait any longer to harvest parsley, chives and even chervil. You can safely freeze that chervil to make chervil soup later.” Will it be hot in May? Don’t forget to open the greenhouses. Too much heat is detrimental to your plants.
To grow beautiful vegetables, it is crucial that you sow or plant them in the right period. If you do this too early or too late, the plants will never come to full development and a top result will not be achieved. But it is not easy to remember when to sow or plant which vegetables. That is why there is this handy calendar.
Add color to your spring garden
We know May as the spring month par excellence. It is therefore the perfect time to plant bedding plants. “Plant pansies for extra color in the garden,” says the garden expert. “You can also add some fertilizer during planting to give the bedding plants a good start.” If dry weather is predicted, you can also water. “Be careful with watering so that you don’t end up with an empty rainwater well extra early.”
Unfortunately, the weeds also grow. “Just like in April, it is very important to be alert to weeds in May,” warns Verelst. “In flower meadows it can be difficult to distinguish weeds from flowers. The sooner you remove the weeds, the better. Watch out for milk goose foot in particular. Those weeds make huge clods, so you also pull up a lot of flowers.”
Removing weeds in an ecological and cheap way: the advice of our garden expert.
It is better to wait a while before pruning hedges
Trimming hedges in May is allowed, but it is better to wait until June. This way you prevent a second pruning. “In May it is a good idea to check where there are bird nests in the hedge,” says Verelst. “That way you don’t break them when pruning in June.”
Don’t mow May: leave the lawn alone for a while
May is also known as the month in which we don’t mow our lawn. The aim of Maai Mei Niet is to stimulate biodiversity. Butterflies and bees thrive in tall grass with flowers and the water will evaporate less quickly from your soil. “If you still want to mow your lawn in May, mow it less short to prevent drought,” says Verelst.
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This article was written by our partner Livios.be. Livios.be is an expert site that focuses on construction and renovation.
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