May Garden Calendar
Vegetables and Fruits
- Plant tomato, pepper, and eggplant transplants in early May
- Seed sweet corn, cucumbers, squash, beans, and other warm season vegetables
- Lightly cultivate soil with a hoe to control weed growth
- Mound soil around potato plants to encourage tuber formation
- Harvest fresh asparagus until the spear size decreases
- Remove rhubarb seed stalks to encourage leaf growth
- Plant kitchen herbs for summer use in dishes or food preservation
- Treat fruit trees with needed pesticides to control insects and disease
- Thin heavy fruit set on apples to increase fruit size and next year's crop
Flowers
- Plant annual flowers for summer color
- Continue to plant and divide perennials
- Mulch perennial and annual gardens for weed control and moisture retention
- Begin pinching chrysanthemums for bushier plants
- Do not remove foliage from spring bulbs until it dies down naturally, this develops stronger blooms for next year
- Plant container gardens and hanging baskets using a good quality potting mix
- Keep a garden journal for permanent reference
Lawns
- Reduce thatch layers from zoysia by verticutting or core aerating
- Sod or sprig zoysia lawns to fill in bare areas
- Fertilize zoysia lawns with high nitrogen to promote green up and summer growth
- Mow zoysia at 1 to 2 inches tall
- Apply slow release nitrogen fertilizer to bluegrass and tall fescue to promote summer growth if watering during the summer. Lower maintenance lawns skip this application
- Mow bluegrass and tall fescue at 3 inches
- Spot treat broadleaf weeds
- Withhold early summer watering until needed to promote more drought tolerant lawns
Trees and Shrubs
- Plant new trees and shrubs
- Prune spring flowering shrubs after bloom to shape plant and encourage flowers next year
- Mulch around young trees and shrubs to conserve moisture and control weed growth
- Water young ornamentals as needed
- Remove tree wraps for summer growth
- Remove tree stakes that have been in place more than one growing season
- Fertilize trees to help increase growth rates
- Caution, use line trimmers around trees and shrubs so as not to damage tender bark
Houseplants
- Move plants outdoors for summer by gradually increasing the exposure to sunlight
- Fertilize plants to promote summer development
- Rotate plants to develop a well-rounded plant
- Wash dusty leaves in the shower under room temperature water
- Four to six inch cuttings are a great way to start new plants, root in potting mix under low light
- Repot plants into a one inch larger pot
- Check for insects
Have questions? The Garden Hotline is staffed by trained EMG volunteers and Extension staff who will assist you with questions.
Phone: (913) 715-7050
Email: garden.help@jocogov.org