‏May’s Gardening To-Do List (By Region)

‏No matter where you are, May is probably the busiest month in gardening for most people. It is the time when gardens come to life and start bursting with blooms. It's also the perfect time for anyone looking to plant wildflowers, perennials, and tender annuals. In this article, we will talk about what you can do in your garden during May. There are many essential maintenance tasks to keep you busy so you can ensure a long, healthy growing season. ‏

Location Independent Chores for May

Planting

‏Regardless of your region or zone, there are a lot of varieties that you can add to your garden in May. You should start by checking your last frost date, after which you can go ahead and plant tender annuals, wildflowers, and perennials without much difficulty. ‏

Maintenance

‏Once May comes around, ensure that you work on the beds and have them ready so your plants can have a healthy start in the season.‏

‏Do away with the weeds:‏ ‏ Weeding is crucial during May. The earlier you start, the easier your battle will be throughout the season. ‏

‏Feed/Fertilize: ‏ ‏You shouldn't forget to fertilize your flowering perennials with organic fertilizer early in May to give them a boost. ‏

‏Mulch:‏ ‏ Adding a fresh layer of mulch helps to retain water and suppress weeds. It's also essential for temperature moderation. ‏

‏Tick checks:‏ ‏ Throughout summer, you should never forget to thoroughly check your body for ticks after working in the garden. ‏

‏Check for insect pests and diseases:‏ ‏ These include, but are not limited to, mildew, rust, aphids, asparagus beetles, cabbage worms, and cutworms. ‏

Midwest

Shop local: Where possible, order via phone or online, and prepay with a credit or debit card. Also, take advantage of delivery options. If you have to make a pickup, just open your trunk or hatch and let them load you up, and maintain social distancing.
Grow more food: Join the thousands who are growing dedicated fruit, vegetable, and herb gardens.
Tackle invasives: Take decisive action against the invasive species that never seem to stop their attacks.
Don't eliminate bulb foliage: Resist the temptation to remove the foliage from spring bulbs. Until the leaves turn brown, they will continue to feed the bulbs.
Mulch: Apply a layer of mulch to suppress weeds, improve soil moisture conservation, and moderate your garden temperature.

Northwest

‏May's warmer weather is upon the Pacific Northwest, and it's time to figure out what needs to be done in the garden.‏

Go ahead and grow dahlias. Dahlias are a harbinger of summer in the Pacific Northwest.
Practice good bulb after-care. Find out what you can do to help recharge your early spring bulbs for the next growing season.
Plant different varieties of tomato: Now is the perfect time to plant your tomato starts.
Maintain your irrigation system: With the weather getting hotter and dryer, May would be the best time to ensure that your garden water needs are taken care of.
Direct-sow warm-season veggies: Get some peas and beans from the local garden center and sow them directly into the garden.

Southeast

‏With moderate temperatures and a few rainy days, May is still a great time to do some gardening in the South East. ‏

You still have time to sow some summer veggies like tomatoes, herbs, and okra.
Water your new transplants regularly: Keep in mind that most plants are still recovering from being transplanted.
Practice strict weed control: Most of the winter weeds would have passed the baton to the summer weeds by summer.
Scout for pests: Understand that pests are part of your garden's ecosystem. Just make sure they don't get out of control.
Prune spring-blooming shrubs like spirea, quince, and azalea after they bloom
Plant warm-weather flowers.
Fertilize your roses.

Southern Plains

‏There is a lot to do in the Southern plains in May. Go ahead, do your garden maintenance and plant some later starters. ‏

Harvest your vegetables and cut your flowers: By May, most of your spring plants will be ready for harvest.
Apply a fresh layer of mulch: In the summer heat, mulch is still quite significant. Add a 2-4 inch layer of mulch to moderate soil temperatures.
Treat fire ants: target the mounds and add some granular ant bait.
‏Install some trellises and additional support structures to your bean vines and squashes.
You can still plant some okra, sweet potatoes, Malabar spinach, and southern peas.

Southern California

‏By May, it will be pretty warm in Southern California, with temperatures averaging 66 degrees F‏

Plant some perennial vines: They will add some color and provide much-needed shade in the garden.
‏Start your compost.
Direct sow some beans, melons, and squash.
Plant members of the nightshade family.
Sort out any issues with your irrigation system.
Use visible labels to mark where the spots where you have your spring bulbs are planted. By this time, their leaves will have totally dried out.
‏Plant some warm-weather flowers and fertilize your roses.

Southwest

‏In case you still have some energy to burn in the high desert, there are some chores that you can get to in the month of May. ‏

Plant, trim, water, and apply some fertilizer on the palm trees.
Plant golden barrel cacti: This fantastic desert perennial can tolerate the intense desert sun.
Seed and care for the lawn.
Service your irrigation system.
‏Add some fresh plants to the pots and garden beds.
‏Keep up with your composting habits.

Northeast

‏The month of May is as close to heavenly weather as it can get in the Northeast. You can still expect a bit of frost, though, until month-end. It's advisable to wait till memorial day if you intend to plant some tender plants. ‏

Carry on with harvesting your asparagus, peas, and leafy crops. Keep in mind that those groundhogs and rabbits probably have their own plans with your harvest as well.
Plant some asparagus if you don't already have some.
Plant members of the nightshade family towards the end of the month

‏May usually brings the most beautiful weather of the entire season. As you enjoy those warm, breezy days, spend some time in your May garden enjoying the numerous garden treasures. Remember, the more work you put into your garden in May, the less you'll have to do in the hot month of June or July

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