May 2020
This diary is a summary of our garden activities. The links are to blog posts that often give more detail.
01-10 May
Lots of wateriing
Parsnips germinated
More rotavating, clearing and weeding
Grass paths cut at allotment and lawns in garden
Garden greenhouse tidied
Annual flowers sown on allotment and in garden greenhouse
Sowed more carrots and radishes in crate in garden greenhouse
Sowed radishes and spring onions in raised bed in garden
Potted up strawberries and popped in cold frame in garden
Various vegetable seeds sown see here
First broad beans planted
First potatoes frosted
All potatoes covered with compost or earthed up
Strawberries on allotment protected under fleece and enviromesh
Harvested rhubarb and cauliflower
Bitten by ants again
Lockdown day 41 – A new arrival
Lockdown day 43 – Cold spell coming
Lockdown day 46 – Warmest day of the year and frosted potatoes
Lockdown day 47 – Gardeners’ World was it from last year?
Lockdown day 48 – Warmest day of the year and frost preparations
11 - 17 May
Ruby’s first grooming
Protected potatoes and strawberries from frost
Emptied compost bin
Moved dahlias from greenhouse
Sowed more seeds
First roses flowering
Trachycarpus flowering
Still watering as no rain
Medlar flowering
Lockdown day 50 – Ne’er cast a clout ’til May is out
18 - 24 May
Very windy week
Moved plot cold frame
Planted dahlias
Wind upended cold frame on top of dahlias that fortunately survived
Lots of watering
Continued tidying, preparing and rotavating beds
Cut grass paths and lawns
Lots of seed sowing, pricking out and potting on see here
Roses flowering
Watercress flowering
Moved peach and apricot trees out of greenhouse
Tulips over so dead headed and fed
Every type of weather but rain
Lockdown day 59 – Crazy days for plants
Lockdown day 61 – Winter gales return
Lockdown day 62 – Have a look around our plot
25 - 31 May
Strong winds upended cold frame
Still no rain so still lots of watering
Weeded carrots
Harvested Casablanca early potatoes growing in a crate
Picked first strawberries
Cultivated more beds – soil is very dry
Planted more broad beans
Our green and pleasant land is turning yellow
Lockdown say 64 – Gales and no rain a bad combination
Lockdown day 71 – Brilliant May weather but not great for gardeners
Casablanca potato reveal – video