Gardening in May: This work is done before and after the ice saints

Created: 05/02/2022, 15:42

By: Andrea Stettner

In May it grows and sprouts in the garden.

You can find out here which types of flowers and vegetables are being planted now and what other work is pending this month.

In May the days are getting warmer and warmer.

But don't be fooled by the partly summery weather: frost is still possible at night, which can cause a lot of damage, especially to the warmth-loving, frost-sensitive plants.

Experienced gardeners therefore wait until the

before sowing and planting out .

After the last ice saint, the "Cold Sophie" on May 15, you can grow almost anything your heart desires in the garden.

In May it's time to get into the bed: lettuce, radishes and carrots are now being planted or sown in the garden.

© Uwe Umstätter via www.imago-images.de

Gardening in May: which vegetables to sow and plant?

On the windowsill

can be

now popular vegetables like the

Prefer broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, or white cabbage.

Frost-sensitive plants such as lettuce, tomatoes, zucchini or peppers should only be outdoors after the ice saints.

You can already plant or sow less sensitive varieties in beds or raised beds:

• salad

• carrots / carrots

• radish

• Kohlrabi

• Leek

• Beetroot

• chard

• beans

• Cucumbers and pumpkins (from the end of May)

Fertilize and tie off fruit bushes in May

Raspberries

,

and

are ideally supplied with compost and mulched in May.

Pruning is also good for the trees: weak young canes are removed close to the ground, last year's canes are shortened.

With

, you should tie down the side shoots.

What gardening tasks are pending in the ornamental garden?

• Pot plants outside after the ice saints

• Create a flower meadow: Dig up the area, break up coarse clods of earth, level with a rake, sow flower seeds and keep them moist until they germinate

• Put early summer flowers outside

• Plant bulbs and bulbs of summer flowers, such as dahlias, gladioli or tuberous begonias.

• Sow summer flowers outdoors, e.g.

  B. sunflowers, marigolds, zinnias

• Cut topiary

• Pinch perennials: remove about a third of the shoot tips by hand (by mid-May).

  This way the plants branch out better and have a better stand.

• Prune lilacs after flowering

• Greening fences, for example with nasturtiums, sweet peas or morning glory

• Uproot tulips and store with the withered shoot

Lawn care in May: How to make the lawn green and strong

Thanks to rising temperatures and sufficient rain, the lawn grows particularly vigorously in May.

Now it is important

.

The rule of thumb is: never shorten the stalks by more than a third.

How often the lawn should be mowed depends on the type of lawn, one cut once or twice a week is usually sufficient.

You can also quickly close up areas in the lawn that have been thinned out by overseeding.

The beginning of May is also the last date to scarify the lawn.

After that it gets too warm and too dry.

When scarifying, thatch and moss are removed.

In addition, the lawn should grow denser.