It’s a gloriously warm sunny morning in Late Spring. I grab a quick breakfast, don the wellies and slather on hand cream. Then dash into the garden, determined to make the most of my time.
In the Northern hemisphere, Late Spring lands in May. For the Southern hemisphere, it is November. But whichever half of the globe you are in, the garden is bursting into life! And our activity level is increasing too. “It’s not called Spring-fever for nothin’!”
The trouble is, I often get waylaid. Whether by the sight of pretty flowers or seeking the source of the beautiful scent filling my nostrils or falling over a dog or two. Remembering what needs to be done can be a problem. But not any more with this handy reminder of the jobs to get the garden (yours and mine) looking it’s best in Late Spring
It’s time to get more seeds sown, and newly grown plants into the ground. Even harvest a few early crops of the year, along with the last of the Lettuce sown in the Autumn. So let’s get gardening!
Here are the 15+ simple jobs you will need to do this month:-
In the Kitchen Garden
- Sow Sweetcorn, Marrows and Courgettes, Runner Beans and your main crop of Beetroot
- Earth-up any Potatoes you have planted
- Harvest the Lettuce sown last Autumn as well as early crops of Carrots, Beetroot and bunching Turnips
In the Fruit Garden
- Remove the blossom from one-year-old Strawberry plants as well as those from 2 and 3-year-old fruit trees – this helps the plants to bulk up ready for production next year
- Mulch your mature Strawberry plants to protect the fruit NB If the ground isn’t already moist, water before mulching.
- Net any fruit you want to protect from marauding birds
Lawn Care
- You can start to cut the grass on your lawn lower during Late Spring
- There is still time to treat weeds in the lawn and the moss
- Apply a light dressing of a nitrogen-rich fertilizer to the grass to encourage growth
The Flower Garden
- Seedlings need to be thinned whether sown in pots or the ground
- Young plants can be potted on
- Acclimatize plants grown undercover to being outside – but keep an eye on the weather if the threat of a late frost is still possible in your area
- Continue to dead-head any herbaceous perennials to encourage the flowering to continue
- Time to plant out Dahlias and Chrysanthemums
- Give Alpines a tidy after they finish flowering – Quick Tip: clip them with shears
General Garden Care
- Check the ties and stakes on trees and plants, not only to see if they have worked loose in windy weather but also for swelling plant stems being restricted by tight restraints
- Keep weeding, watering (when necessary) and generally keeping a look-out for pests and diseases. Many problems can be avoided with swift action
And the Hand- cream? Slather a good layer over your hands, scrape your nails gentle over your palms to wedge a dollop under each fingernail. Then cleaning your hands will be a breeze after a day in the Garden.
For the full list of garden jobs for the month get your FREE sheet below! (Sorry! hand-cream not included!)
Check out these posts for further information:- Square Metre Gardening, and Make Your Own Plant Supports
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