May gardening and vegetable garden tasks: tips from agronomist Salavat Galimzyanov

      May is a crucial month for summer cottage owners. What you manage to do in the last weeks of spring affects the health of the plants, the future harvest, and even the appearance of the plot in summer.

      In May, nature finally awakens, but the weather remains capricious: scorching sun is replaced by frosts, and downpours by sharp droughts. A flexible approach and knowledge of folk signs (the blooming of lilacs, rowan, peonies, and chestnuts) help to align planting times better than any calendar.

      Soil preparation: where to start

      First, clear the beds of weeds, loosen the soil, and add organic matter (compost, manure). For tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers, it is advisable to warm the soil—cover the beds with black film a few days before planting.

      When and what to plant: the natural calendar

      Early radish, cabbage, peas

      Daffodils have bloomed

      Cucumbers under film, lettuce

      Lilacs have bloomed

      Pumpkin, zucchini

      Peonies have opened their buds

      Summer radish, beans

      Chestnut has bloomed

      Cucumbers in open ground

      After the blooming of rowan (there will be no more frosts)

      Potatoes, carrots, onions, and garlic

      Potatoes: early varieties—at the beginning of May, late—mid or late.

      Carrots and beets: thin the seedlings, fertilize, water every 3–4 days.

      Onions: thin, fertilize with a mixture of cow manure and potassium-phosphorus fertilizers, loosen the soil.

      Garlic: water frequently and abundantly. In mid-May, remove the arrows so that all nutrients go into the bulb.

      Protection from return frosts

      The main enemy of May is night frosts:

      Cover the beds with agrotextile or plastic bottles.

      Use sprinkling: water the plants before the cold snap—the icy crust will retain heat.

      Treat bushes and trees with immunity stimulators (for example, "Epin").

      Garden: trees, shrubs, raspberries

      During the flowering of fruit trees, beware of frosts. Smoke bombs or barbecues with fire all night will help preserve the ovaries.

      Prune dead branches, cover the cuts with oil paint.

      Raspberries: straighten the bent shoots from winter, tie them to the trellis. Damaged ones—cut to the root. Fertilize with organic matter.

      Gooseberries and currants: rags soaked in kerosene (at the roots, not in the soil!) will help against ants. If you notice "mosaic" on black currants (not treatable)—immediately uproot the bush to avoid infecting the entire garden.

      Pest control

      After the leaves appear, spray trees and shrubs with a mixture in 20 liters of water: 60 g of carbofos + 80 g of copper chloride + 40 g of chlorophos. This is against flower beetles, mites, moths, aphids, and scale insects. Repeat if necessary before flowering. Copper-containing preparations will help against fungi: Bordeaux mixture, "HOM."

      Flowerbed and universal tips

      Transplant and divide lilies, hostas, phloxes.

      From mid-May, plant gladioluses and dahlias.

      In heat—increase watering, but do not flood. Mulch (straw, sawdust) will retain moisture.

      In rain—check drainage to prevent root rot.

      Main idea

      What is missed in May cannot be made up for in summer. Keep an eye on the weather, align with nature (lilacs, peonies, chestnuts), and act step by step. Then the plot will reward you with abundant blooming and a rich harvest.

      Photo by the author

      Yulia Kazamarova