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

Blowing hot and cold

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

A frosty morning gets our potatoes – video

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

Transformations

Lockdown day 50 – Ne’er cast a clout ’til May is out

Lockdown day 53 – Our latest frost ever

After the frost

Surprise Find – video

Protecting from frost – video

Jack Frost nips our kiwis – video

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

Lockdown day 64 – gales and no rain a bad combination

Our Late May plot tour – video

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

A host of hostas

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