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    WILL HART'S GARDENING DIARY

  

 

MAY

 

FRUIT

 

·         Untie and retrain branches of wall-trained figs that have been bundled together for protection, prune as necessary..

 

·         Pick protected strawberries and gooseberry thinnings.

 

·         Open one side of fruit cage to allow entry for pollinating insects.

 

·         Protect blossoms from frosts.

 

·         Mow grass around trees.

 

·         Water well after flowering plants especially stone fruits.

 

·         Ring bark over vigorous apple and pear trees.

 

·         De-blossom newly planted trees.

 

·         Late May remove the polythene cover from wall-trained peaches and nectarines

 

·         Remove unwanted shoots from raspberries.

 

·         Thin gooseberries in late may if large fruits required.

 

·         Never use insecticides during flowering, may kill pollinating insects.

 

·         Continue control against pear scab.

 

·         Start netting all fruit at the first sign of ripening.

 

·         Look to spraying against P+D.

 

·         Put straw around strawberries. Deter slugs use slug pellets. Minimize risk of bird damage use netting.

 

 

VEGETABLES

 

·         Plant out Brussel Sprouts, summer and winter cabbage.

 

·         Sow in pots sweet corn, runner beans, French beans, for planting out in June.

 

·         Sow cucumber, marrow, and melons in gentle heat.

 

·         Sow short rows of lettuce fortnightly.

 

·         Transplant pencil thick leeks into final position.

 

·         Control slugs and snails.

   

 

LAWN

 

·         Edge lawn fortnightly (i.e. every two weeks), using long handled shears.

 

·         Sow grass seed on newly prepared lawns.

 

·         Mow when necessary, gradually bringing the height of cut lower.

 

·         Best month for using a selective weed killer or lawn sand.

 

·         Brush or rake to lift coarse grasses before mowing.

 

 

GARDEN

 

·         Weed control by hoeing and spraying etc.

 

·         Control slugs and snails.

 

·         Mulch heathers.

 

·         Encourage bushy growth on fuchsias by nipping out tips.

 

·         Trim conifers and evergreen hedges.

 

·         Put in supports for tall herbaceous perennials.

 

·         Pinch out side shoots and tendrils from cordon grown sweet peas.

 

·         Lift spring bedding and prepare for planting summer bedding. Bulbs can be used elsewhere

 

·         Harden off bedding plants protect from frost.

 

·         Plant up hanging baskets.    

                              

·         Shade greenhouse structures.

 

·         Prune Kerria, Forsythia and flowering currants

 

·         Plant out Dahlia tubers in prepared plots

 

·         Sow hardy annuals in situ

 

·         Deadhead flowers of finished Rhododendron

 

·         Spray roses for Black spot, mildew, aphids etc.

 


GARDENING BY MONTH

Gardening in January
Gardening in February
Gardening in March
Gardening in April
Gardening in May
Gardening in June
Gardening in July
Gardening in August
Gardening in September
Gardening in October
Gardening in November

Gardening in December

 

The above helpful advice has been reproduced by kind permission of Will Hart, whose experience includes working for Blackburn Rovers FC (as a groundsman at their Training Ground, Academy and Ewood Park), for the Sultan of Oman (at his French residence in Fontainebleau, south of Paris) at the 1999 Martell Grand National at Aintree and for a variety of different sized local gardens and estates.  Impressive credentials I am sure you will agree!




 

 

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