Cultivate your edible plants in May
In the heart of spring, allotment gardeners eagerly prepare their plots for a bountiful cropping season. This month, focus on tomatoes, strawberries, and salad leaves as we outline the essential tasks for a fruitful growing season.
Preparing Soil and Beds
Clearing weeds and enriching the soil with well-rotted compost or manure is crucial for good drainage and fertility. A sunny spot is ideal for planting tomatoes, while strawberries thrive in partial shade.
Planting Tomatoes
Tomatoes are hungry feeders that require careful preparation. Start them indoors or buy young plants to plant out after the danger of frost has passed, usually in May. To encourage strong root growth, plant the tomatoes deep, burying part of the stem. Space them well apart (about 45-60 cm) to ensure air circulation and reduce disease risk. Don't forget to stake them for support.
Strawberries
Plant bare-root strawberries in well-prepared beds, spacing them about 30 cm apart in rows with 45 cm between rows. Mulching helps retain moisture and suppress weeds.
Sowing Salad Leaves
Salad leaves such as lettuce, rocket, and spinach can be sown directly in the soil or in seed trays. Sow successively every few weeks for a continuous harvest throughout the summer.
Making Comfrey Feed
A popular natural liquid fertilizer among growers, comfrey feed, is easy to make. Cut fresh comfrey leaves and place them in a container with water (proportion roughly one part comfrey leaves to five parts water). Let it steep for 2-4 weeks, stirring occasionally. Strain the liquid and dilute it before feeding plants, especially heavy feeders like tomatoes.
Protecting Your Crops
To keep birds out from under the netting, fishing weights or pegs can be used. Straw is used to protect strawberry crops from birds in summer, and netting is used to cover the strawberry bed. Stuff straw under the strawberry plants, particularly under the trusses of flowers, and mulch over the whole bed.
These jobs help ensure a productive cropping season on your May allotment, improving plant health and yield. While no detailed May checklist was found in the search results, this advice aligns with common horticultural practices for these crops and allotment gardening around May time. Happy gardening!
Incorporating home-and-garden practices, start making comfrey feed as a natural liquid fertilizer for heavy feeders like tomatoes. For strawberries, sow them in well-prepared beds, ensuring they're spaced appropriately in a sunny yet shaded area, and protect them with straw and netting during summer.
