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May 2019 spring garden beware late frosts, potting on, small spaces, perennial veg

Written by

Charles Dowding

Last Updated

April 30, 2019

At last it’s May, a wonderful month. Just go steady though with plantings of any frost sensitive plants, be aware of your last frost date.

For example it is almost freezing as I write this, and we are forecast a ground frost on 5th May. I need to cover the early potatoes on the evening before. April was warmer and you can see the lushness of spring in this video.

Spring garden video which had 22,000 views in it’s first 24 hours

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Homeacres on 28th April after a day of high wind, 45mph gusts, plants mostly fine

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Seedlings which need warmth

Many fast-growing summer vegetables need steady warmth. I had most of mine on the greenhouse hotbed until 29th April, then we potted them on and now they take up nearby space as well. The manure pile has been and is emitting enough heat upwards, through the module trays, for germination and early growth to be steady.

I was pleased that 25/25 cucumbers germinated. The next new sowing here is French and climbing beans on 10th May. I have some soybeans almost ready to plant and they will be under fleece for about three weeks.

Hotbed 28th April before potting on, all are warmth loving plants

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Max-min temperatures in the greenhouse after a 22C day outside

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Max-min temperatures on the hotbed surface after a 22C day outside

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Basil 28th April was multisown 23 days earlier, we thin to two plants per cell

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Potting on

Why bother with this?

modules are smaller, so precious warmth is available to hundreds of seedlings in modules, compared to tens of seedlings in pots
seedlings grow better in small amounts of compost where there is less waterlogging and more air - be careful not to overwater cucumber, melon and basil especially - roots need air too
seedlings are closer to their friends.

Then you need to pot on before they become crowded and with elongating stems.

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Winter squash sown two weeks earlier, still in modules, needs potting!

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Charles potting cucumbers, West Riding organic compost

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Hotbed after the potting process

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Potatoes and no dig

There is still time to plant potatoes. See how my Charlotte are barely showing any leaves, which I am happy about because of late frost. I am trialling two different composts there.

Charlotte potatoes to right of the borad beans were planted 3 weeks ago

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Dig bed left and no dig right, the only vegetable looking stronger on dig is potatoes. In other years, no dig potatoes have yielded more.

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Compost heaps

With more additions because of spring growth, your heaps should be filling and warming up. Any lack of heat may be from too many air pockets, due to long stems: best cut everything to 4-6in/10-15cm.

I put bindweed roots and seeds of annual weeds on my heaps. The latter decompose without heat (they are not invincible!!) but seeds need about 55C/129F or higher to be killed.[caption id="attachment_78145" align="alignnone" width="750"]

Surface of two month old heap in late April, with groundsel seeds visible middle right[/caption]

Spreading new compost under cover

After clearing the last winter vegetable/salad plants under cover, I rake level then spread compost, mostly home made, horse manure and mushroom compost this year.

It’s the only application of compost all year, for two crops.

Even under cover there is a slight risk of frost here until mid May, so I use fleece before cold nights.

After xlearing winter salads in the greenhouse and I spread just over two wheelbarrows compost, 1.5in/4cm approx.

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Tomatoes planted either side of the garlic with fleece over before a cold night, strings in hole

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The polytunnel still has salad from October plantings

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Harvests

By about May 10th we are in the hungry gap, with leeks finished and overwintered broccoli giving less, while stored vegetables lose quality.

New harvests are mostly green and leafy! Perhaps by late May there can be beetroot and broad beans.

Lettuce sown mid February and planted 39 days ago, picked once so far

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Spinach sown August and picked many times since October, Medania

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Perennial veg

These perennials come into their own in the spring, when annuals are mostly growing but not ready to give harvests.

Seakale is now making tender broccoli stalks

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Asparagus growth is steady but slower in cool conditions

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Buckler leaved sorrel has a lovely lemon flavour

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Small spaces

The photos give an idea of my plantings. One small bed is more challenging than the 25sqm of what I call the small garden, though I know it would be large for many. I crop it in twelve blocks.

Both the bed and the small garden are featured with cropping examples and plans, through a whole year, in my online course about no dig gardening.

Garden of 25sqm with lettuce under mesh and beetroot under netting, against birds

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One bed has beetroot, lettuce, onions, spinach plus fennel, carrots. rocket and peas for shoots, plum tree behind

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Pest protection

A reader reminded me to warn about pigeons - he took his fleece off some lovely brassicas and suddenly now they are shredded by birds who found them. Uv treated bird netting is handy to have ready, see Pest Prevention video.

Wild rocket sown September planted February, mesh against flea beetle mostly

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Wild rocket sown September planted February, mesh against flea beetle mostly

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Last crop of salad rocket until late August, now is it’s flowering season, this is Apollo

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Courses

We have had lovely groups here, and on the weekend course we harvested salad and planted beetroot on the last morning. It was a special pleasure to welcome Olaf and Arnie from Iceland, and Mia plus Emma from Stockholm.