How To Keep The Garden Happy

Keep the garden happy now the weather is warmer and the days are brighter

JOBS FOR MAY

RUNNER BEANS CAN BE SOWN NOW. Mix organic matter into your soil and plant in a sheltered spot. Water them well throughout their whole growing period.

KEEP ON TOP OF NEW WEEDS. Hoe regularly, clearing weed seedlings around shrubs and between vegetables on a sunny day.

GROW ‘RAINBOW CHARD’ IN A POT. Fill a container that’s at least 25cm deep with multipurpose compost. Sow seeds 1cm deep with 2.5cm space all around them. Thin out seedlings 5-8cm apart. Plants will be ready to harvest four to six weeks from a May sowing, and during summer, you can pick fresh leaves and stems every two weeks.

MAKE SURE CONTAINERS with your summer bulbs are on raised feet, so excess water can escape and doesn’t cause waterlogging, which may rot the bulbs.

PINCH OUT THE TIPS OF BROAD BEANS. This will direct energy into the growing of more beans. It also helps prevent against black fly, which find broad bean plants super tasty.

APPLY A GENERALPURPOSE PLANT FEED to mixed borders. Roses will love a sprinkling of rose fertiliser, followed by a mulch of well-rotted manure – keep it clear of the stems.