WHAT TO DO IN THE GARDEN IN
MAY 1st to 10th

If the plants are not potted up the roots will become congested and eventually they will not be large enough to support the plants needs for nutrients and water.

Sowing Seeds Outside This Week
Early to mid May is the most popular time for sowing runner bean, French Bean, Swiss chard and chicory seeds outside in the soil. Resist the temptation to plant out sweet corn and tomato plants for another week or two unless your area is very mild.

Strawberries - again!
Strawberries will be in flower this week and it would be a pity not to give a little more tender loving care to ensure a bumper crop. Feed them weekly with a liquid tomato feed to encourage the formation of fruit. Weed frequently and clear out any decaying or yellow leaves. Doing this will let air circulate freely reduce the risk of powdery mildew.

Pinch or cut out any runners to concentrate the plants strength into producing fruit. However, if you want new strawberry plants next year for free, then select a couple of plants and remove any flowers. This will encourage runners. Where the runners touch the soil surface they will sprout roots. For a new plant, simply cut the runner away and pot the roots and top growth into a pot. When this is further established in a few weeks time, plant into the final position. These plants will produce fruit next year.

Using a Hoe
The annual weeds are growing like crazy now and a hoe is your principal tool in the battle against them. Using a hoe correctly and at the correct time is not the simple matter it may appear to be. Experienced gardeners use a hoe correctly without really thinking about it; novice gardeners often use a hoe incorrectly without even being aware of it. Use a hoe correctly and you will save hours of weeding.

We have a two page article which deals with hoes in detail, it can be found here. Just to add to that article, regular hoeing will leave you with a soil which is light and dusty on the surface when hoed. This is the ideal. It requires s soil surface which is flat. This may take several weeks or even a season to achieve but it is well worth it. With the soil level and a covering of dusty soil, any further hoeing will chop off weeds and leave them on a surface which is hostile to their re-growth.

More Information
For more detailed information and timings go to our individual vegetable, herb and fruit pages. If you want to see a condensed vegetable advice page with planting, sowing, care and harvesting information for the entire year on one page then go to our vegetable calendar.

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