With Brownie
The month of May is named after the Greek goddess Maia, who was seen as a nurturer and earth goddess. Later, the Romans identified Maia as a deity of fertility and growth, particularly of plants. The month was named as in the northern hemisphere, it marks the beginning of spring. But here in the southern hemisphere, it heralds autumn and the coming of winter.
May also celebrates mothers (Mother’s Day) and sci-fi geeks (May the Fourth). For gardeners, it’s the time to get cracking with pre-winter chores while there’s still warmth in the sun.
Here are some gardening tips for May:
- Sweet Peas: If your sweet pea seedlings are looking a little worse for wear due to all the rain, it’s not too late to replace them with new ones – try the dwarfing varieties.
- Weeds: Grass growth will be starting to slow down now, but weeds still grow. Keep on top of weeds, especially nutgrass, clover, and tropical chickweed.
- Bare Rooted Roses: These will be in stores now but don’t rush to buy them yet as the optimum time is the end of next month.
- Gingers & Heliconias: Cut back gingers and heliconias that have finished flowering, leaving the new growth for next season’s display.
- Lime on Veggie Beds: Apply a light dusting of lime to bare veggie beds. Avoid applying fertilizer at the same time as lime, as it reacts with nitrogen, creating ammonia gas.
- Coriander: Plant leafy coriander now. The cooler temperatures will prevent it from bolting to seed.
- Flower Seedlings: If your spring-flowering seedlings haven’t survived all the rain, it’s not too late to plant Iceland poppies, pansies, or snapdragons to fill in the gaps.
- Strawberries: Your strawberry plants should be growing well now. Apply a little pelletized manure and use fish and seaweed solutions regularly to keep them in good health. It’s not too late to plant strawberries if you haven’t yet.
- Dahlias: Trim off dahlias that are dying back. Those that have not yet started to die back can be trimmed to half their height. They will need to be lifted out of the ground next month (June).
- Pests in Veggie Garden: There are still pests in the veggie garden. Dust with Derris Dust or spray with Dipel or Success to keep most vegetable pests at bay. These products have short withholding periods, so they’re safe to use within a day or so.
- Broad Beans: If you’ve planted broad beans, pinch out their tips to encourage more flowers to form.
- Citrus Trees: Plant new citrus trees this month and next (May and June). Always remove any fruit before planting, or select trees without fruit for better vigour. Don’t fertilize young trees until 3-4 months after planting.