Natures catches up in May days

Everything is certainly ‘behind’, and you only need to look at the trees and see the lack of leaves to see the proof of this.

Nevertheless you’ll be surprised how quickly nature catches up with itself and even though you may find yourself planting seeds later than last year they will often come to maturity at the usual time. What can be planted now (along with hardy annual flower seeds which will now be fine to sow throughout the season) are hearty veg such as cauliflower, cabbage, squash and Brussels sprouts, as well as radishes, lettuces, and salad leaves such as mustard which are all great for the coming summer’s lunches.

If you are concerned about the weather and the warmth of the soil, look at what is growing – if the weeds are coming through, your planted seeds should, too. Spring bulbs will start to look a bit sorry for themselves this month, and whilst you shouldn’t cut back the green leaves, you can move them to a basic trench and heel them up to finish the process of taking the energy from the leaves back to the bulb. If you are replacing them with bedding plants, make use of a cold frame or sheltered spot to harden them off before planting out.

Make use of damper days by planting containerised plants; but don’t forget they will need plenty of water throughout the summer so you may want to consider waiting until the autumn.

It’s also a great time to get young children interested in gardening as the garden becomes more appealing with longer evenings and sunnier weather.

For all details of events, volunteering opportunities (including becoming part of our gardening team), and for any questions or queries, call 01582 879089, email [email protected], or go to www.lhwg.org.uk