What to do in May in the vegetable garden (sowing, planting, harvesting, etc.)

The month of May represents spring in all its splendour, as plants adorn themselves with their most beautiful flowers and what seemed dead comes back to life in a joyous symphony of colour and fragrance. It's also a crucial month, and certainly one of the most demanding for gardeners, who are already beginning to reap the rewards of their work. In this article, discover all the secrets for a successful May in the vegetable garden.

Sowing in May

May is a particularly busy month: a huge number of fruit and vegetable species can be sown at this time. Take advantage of this to start the second wave of sowing for a harvest spread out over time. Fortunately, you can count on the Permapotes calendar to help you see things more clearly.

Sowing in pots

In May, remain vigilant and don't sow too early outdoors. In fact, you'll need to be wary of the famous ice saints (May 11, 12 and 13) who threaten to ruin all your work by freezing your young plants. So it's best to sow under cover in a pot, in a tray, on a heat mat or in a greenhouse. I often use recycled materials (strawberry trays or empty bottles) to use as bells, and it works like a charm! The key is to maintain a certain temperature to protect your young, fragile plants. If you're sowing indoors, near a window for example, here are some valuable tips.

• Cucumbers can be sown in pots or cups, put two or three seeds in a hole about 2 cm deep. These vigorous plants will germinate a few days later, select the sturdiest to transplant to your garden when the time comes.
• Pumpkins, squash and other courgettes can also be sown if you want later production. They will need a minimum of 15 C° to germinate. When the plants have their third leaf, you can consider transplanting them. Be careful with the roots, which are often deep and which you risk injuring during this delicate operation.
• Turnips and carrots, which are both root vegetables, will do well in light, sandy soil. Thin out the first seedlings and transplant them into the open ground when it has warmed up enough (temperature no longer drops below 7 degrees). Your first harvests will be about three months later.
• Finally, chives, an aromatic plant much appreciated for its fresh, fragrant taste, will be sown in fine furrows previously marked out and covered with a thin layer of soil. As with all sowing, be sure to keep the soil moist to encourage emergence.

Outdoors sowing

Before anything else, prepare the ground well: hoe it lightly to aerate it and prepare it to receive new planting. Remove any undesirable elements such as stones, branches, etc. And above all, mulch your young plants, both to protect them from the growth of neighbouring "weeds", even if it's true that in permaculture, there are no "weeds", just undesirable grasses. Mulching your crops is also one of the best ways to nourish your soil and maintain maximum moisture after watering.

Once the risk of frost has been ruled out, keep an eye out for the vagaries of the sometimes still capricious weather, and make sure you have a protective veil in case of bad weather to protect your precious plants. There are many varieties to be sown in the ground. Here is a non-exhaustive list, to which I recommend you add many honey flowers. They are not only a pleasure for the eyes, but also an excellent way of attracting beneficial insects.

Your sowing method depends on the type of seed you're talking about, but also on your growing space. Whether you opt for sowing in bunches, in rows or broadcasting, here are the sowings to do in the open ground in May.

• Radishes: bury them very lightly in rows and fairly widely spaced. They will ripen in 4 to 7 weeks depending on the variety.
• Fennel: in shallow furrows (about 5 cm) place your seeds and cover them with 1cm of soil. As soon as your seedlings show their first leaves, thin out every 20cm to give the young plant all the space it needs to develop.
• Peas: in rows, squares or packets, bury seedlings about 2/3cm deep and space them 30-40cm apart. They will take about one to two weeks to emerge.
• Broccoli: sow in fairly deep furrows, spacing the seeds several cm apart. They should emerge after just a few days, but the harvest will not take place until four months later.
• Lettuce: in rows in shallow furrows or broadcast on a previously defined and well-cleaned plot. Then leave 25 cm between each plant, which you can harvest after a few weeks, small tender and fresh, or bushier and imposing two weeks later.
• Melon: prepare fairly large holes spaced at least a metre apart, as these are plants with an unfortunate tendency to spread. Water them regularly and generously, and you should be able to harvest 4 to 5 months later.
• Beans: it is advisable to soak your bean seeds the day before sowing to soften its protective envelope and thus encourage germination. In fairly deep furrows, place one seed (they are quite large) every 50 cm or so. Place a good layer of soil, pack lightly and keep the soil moist until the seeds have emerged. You'll be able to harvest your first beans two months later.
• Aromatics can withstand relatively cool temperatures and will perform well in the ground at this time of year. Whether it's parsley, dill, mint, sage, tarragon or even chervil, the methods will be broadly similar. In ideally rich, light soil, sow in rows and cover with soil or sieved compost. As their seeds are extremely small and their proximity can hinder their germination and development, we advise you to mix them with sand or another fine natural material to space the seeds apart. Be careful not to expose them to direct sunlight and you'll be able to harvest a few weeks later.

Repicking and planting

As early as May, you'll be able to transplant vegetables from your previous sowings. This is also the time to plant the young plants you may have acquired from a garden centre or nurseryman without necessarily going through the sometimes tedious sowing stage.

• This is the ideal month to plant asparagus, which you'll take care to keep in a relatively moist environment.
• This is also the time to transplant or put in the ground your young tomato, aubergine, pepper and chilli plants. Although native to warm countries, these species are quite water-hungry, so be careful not to let the soil dry out.
• You can also transplant squash and courgette plants of all kinds outdoors, taking care to give them plenty of room to grow. Don't hesitate to place compost at the bottom of the hole, these are very greedy vegetables.
• This is also the time for cabbages, chicory, and underground treasures that need to be transplanted. It's also the case for leeks, shallots and even potatoes.
• This is also an excellent time to plant comfrey (in the border, in the sun), and mint in a cool, half-shade, half-sun situation. You'll be able to come and harvest leaves at your leisure for many months

Harvest to be carried out in May

It's already time to harvest many of the fruit vegetables and herbs you'll have taken care to sow in previous months. Artichokes, sown in autumn, can be harvested. Leave a stalk about ten centimetres long under each artichoke. This is also the start of the season for asparagus, peas, kohlrabi, broad beans and escarole sown several weeks ago under cover. This will also be the case for dill leaves, lettuce, turnips, onions, radishes, spinach and the delicious arrowroot.

If you live in a mild region, the first carrots will be poking out their tufts as will leeks, which you can harvest all year round if you have spaced your seedlings well. This is also the time to pick your first strawberries, ideally in the morning, for an intensely sweet taste. Finally, you can go and pick from the generous herbs that will already be available to you, such as spring onions, parsley, rosemary and chervil.

Other tasks to do in May in the vegetable garden

Take the time to thin out young plants from the first sowings and start transplanting mature plants. Cut the runners of strawberry plants to prevent them from wearing out and producing little fruit. Prepare stakes for climbers that have already grown and aerate your compost regularly. This is also the ideal time to mark out the path where you will be moving around the vegetable garden.