May in the garden as you well know if you are a gardener, is an extremely busy time. I really wanted to let you see all that I have been up too. It’s been hard to find the time to write about it all and I’ve missed being here on a regular basis. The last two months have been kind of crazy and full, between trying to get our original garden ready to plant, amending the soil, pulling a few weeds, doing all the stuff on the lists for February in the Garden and March in the Garden . We then decided to  extend our growing season by adding cloches, and that was a big job too.

 

We also decided we wanted to double the size of our garden, by making a whole new second garden in our lower yard, I think we are gluttons for punishment. We now have the upper garden which was our original garden that we enlarged two years ago, and now the new garden which I have named the lower garden, original right? I needed to give them titles so we would all know which garden needed what planted and done to it.  The lower garden includes our Apple tree, Asian Pear tree, Peach tree, and two Cherry trees.

We also started our chicken endeavor and that has evolved into a much larger project than any of us imagined. Between building the run and the hen-house, and keeping the chicks in the brooder for weeks to begin with, we are now backyard chicken people, thankfully our backyard is part of our five acres.

 

 

Besides all these improvements we decided to do, we also won a trip to Hawaii and we took two weeks in April to suffer through that. It really was an amazing trip and was so nice to get away and enjoy some time off before this busy gardening season takes off.

 

 

So you can see why my time to write has been limited. Time with family has been busy and full, of which I put in the forefront of everything, so pardon my lack of recipes and such. I’m ready to get back in the swing of things, and be back on here on a more regular basis. I’m looking forward to keeping you updated on the garden process and creating recipes and meals from our harvest and sharing them with you. Meanwhile here are a few things to do in the garden during the month of May.

May in the Garden to do list.

1. If you have rhubarb in your garden now’s the time you should be able to start harvesting it.  Simply reach down to bottom of stem and twist and pull.  Don’t just pull, twist and pull.
2. Don’t forget to earth up your potatoes as they grow, it also protects them from any late cold weather you might have.
3. Check out  a comparison planting chart before planting to make sure you’re not pairing up plants that don’t grow well together.
4. Be sure to plant some flower seeds here or there around the garden to attract bees, nasturtiums, cosmos, sunflowers are great choices.
5. You still have time to plant some greens, kale, and chard are two of my favorites.
6. Be sure and keep your garden watered, it is important to keep the soil damp and not let it dry out when seeds are trying to sprout.
7. Check all the joints and tips and hoses on your watering system to make sure it’s all working properly so each plant or seed is getting water.
8. If your seedlings are 4-6 inches tall, it’s time to lay some mulch around your seedlings.

I’m sure if you have a garden, you are finding many things to keep yourself busy, just a few helpful suggestions to bring it all together.

 

 

 

 

Tags:  garden May to do list