With Spring almost over and Summer just around the corner, here's our checklist for seeds to sow in May!
Embracing May Gardening: A Bounty of Opportunities
Understanding the Importance of Seed Sowing in May
Knowing when to sow your seeds is critical for the best chance of germination. May is a great time to sow many different types of summer vegetables, and serves as the perfect opportunity to get ahead of your autumn crop.
Assessing Your Garden Space
Not every garden is the same, some will feature shady patches and others may enjoy full sun. Make sure to consider exactly what green space you have in which to sow your seeds. Even in a small garden, it's possible to grow flowers all-year-round; May is no exception!
Just make sure that wherever you plant your seeds, the conditions are amenable to growth. For most fruit and veg, soil should be well-drained. Some plants prefer wet soil, such as lillies and astilbe.
Choosing the Right Seeds for May
Our May checklist includes refreshing summer vegetables and gorgeous flowers that will come to flower once summer gets truly underway.
Vegetables:
- Warm-season vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, courgette, squash, and beans can be sown directly into the garden or started indoors and then transplanted.
- Leafy greens such as lettuce, spinach, kale, and Swiss chard can be sown directly into the garden for a continuous harvest.
- Garden Direct Tip: Plant indoors on a warm windowsill, before hardening off outside. Plant out after the danger of frost has passed.
Explore Our Wide Range of Vegetable Seeds
Herbs:
- Herbs like basil, cilantro, dill, parsley, and chives can be sown directly into the garden or in pots. In our experience, we've found they perform best when started-off indoors and moved outdoors once summer is in full swing.
Flower Seeds:
- Annual flowers such as marigolds, zinnias, cosmos, sunflowers, and nasturtiums can be sown directly into the garden or in containers.
- Select seeds that will bloom into colourful, vibrant flowers - like alyssum or nasturtium. Not only will they look great, this will help to attract pollinators and other animals into your garden.
Root Vegetables:
- Root vegetables like carrots, radishes, beets, and turnips can be sown directly into the garden. Make sure the soil is loose and free of rocks to allow the roots to develop properly.
Planning Your Planting Schedule
May marks the beginning of the end for spring - with many gardeners already looking ahead to the coming months, considering when to harvest a particular crop.
As the first in our Garden Direct sowing guide, we've got our eyes on the months ahead too. Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive all the latest news from our team!
Seed Starting Techniques
Start small!
Sowing seeds directly into the ground may be the way nature intended, however for an optimal harvest, a seed tray with seed cells is the ideal way to start off your seeds. A tried-and-tested method is to keep them on a windowsill with partial sunlight to stimulate growth. Newly germinated seeds can grow quickly, so it's important to keep an eye on your crop and pot up when needed.
Choosing the Right Pots and Containers for Seed Starting
Plastic is certainly the bane of the ocean and we're big advocates of keeping our planet clean. To that end, recycled plastic is a great option for starting off seeds.
Some of our best vegetable crops have been started off in old yoghurt pots or strawberry punnets. Flowers are more particular about how they continue to grow, with some varieties favouring containers that retain heat, which keeps the soil warm.
So get planting! Tag us in images of your newly sown seeds on social media
Instagram: @garden.direct
