May

Top Tips:
Soil preparation is in my opinion the first rule of gardening. Your soil can still be improved and developed at this late stage. Your garden centre will have liquid fertilizers and feeds to get the most out of plants in pretty average soil. If you are using grow-bags remember they often spends months in huge stacks and the soil may get compressed. Before you open the grow-bag break the soil up by manipulating the bag. Once the bag is planted up keep it well watered, they can dry out very quickly, particularly under glass.

Lawns:
Mow frequently but not too short, the shorter you cut the grass the more you'll encourage growth, the more you'll need to feed the soil.

As a general rule I like to remove grass cuttings and use in my composting cycle, if it gets particularly dry however you'll retain a lot more moisture if you leave the cuttings on the lawn.

I tend not to worry too much about weed treatment of the lawn during; May, June, July and August unless you have a particular treatment. Good regular raking after cutting will help reduce moss.

Flowers and shrubs:
If you have hanging baskets and tubs remember to water regularly, drying out at the start season will limit the success later in the summer.

Deadhead daffodils and other early flowering bulbs.

Most of your hardy annuals can be sown now, and your April sowings will probably be ready for thinning out.

Fruit & Vegetables:
Most summer vegetables can be sown now directly into the ground. Try runner beans in pots in the greenhouse for accelerated growth. Try two beans for every plant, then discard the weaker of the two plants to ensure the best possible result.

Seedlings grown under glass can go out now when hardened off.

Remember to keep sowing your quick growing summer crops (lettuce in particular) every two or three weeks.

Don't forget your autumn and winter harvest, many plants will need to be sown now to be harvested from October onwards.

Remove any cherry or plum shoots that are sick or dying, cut back to healthy growth and treat the cuts with a an appropriate fungicidal solution.

Greenhouse:
Cucumbers can now be planted in your greenhouse; not the easiest plant to grow but a very attractive addition to any garden

Tomatoes should be planted now, if you have a sheltered spot in the garden you can consider planting outdoors. There is no hard and fast rule and every garden is different but if you have a suitable 'hot spot' put some plants in and see how how they grow.