What to do in your garden in May 2011

Climate change seems to be in full swing this year. May arrived with a sharp drop in temperature and ground frosts. This following a wonderfully cold winter and a very late spring. But not everywhere of course.

This just goes to show the value of local knowledge. Our ‘What to do in the garden’ pages provide invaluable tips and reminders, but just check outside before you get going. Be prepared to be flexible, giving plants short term protection from the cold (or heat??) as necessary.

If you are new to the whole business of gardening, then talking with other local gardeners is always invaluable. Click here to find out if there is a Garden Organic Local Group in your area.

Who knows if 2010 will be wet or dry – but what ever the case, collecting rainwater from house, shed and greenhouse roofs is vital. If you can organise it so that the overflow from water butts goes on to the garden, rather than down the drain, you can help reduce the risk of drains being overwhelmed in a heavy downpour. The soil where plants are grown against a wall or fence can often be very dry and could benefit from the overflow water.

Vegetables - Grow Your Own
Begin to plant out some of the more tender crops Make a runner bean wigwam Hoe regularly to keep down weeds Read more about growing your own veg.. Find out how to make your own compost - include our step by step video guide

Vegetables - Grow Your Own

Begin to plant out some of the more tender crops
Make a runner bean wigwam
Hoe regularly to keep down weeds

Read more about growing your own veg..

Find out how to make your own compost - include our step by step video guide

Fruit Garden		Herb Garden		Ornamental Garden
Mulch around strawberries Clear weeds around fruit trees & bushes Prune new plum trees Fruit garden jobs..		Plant out hardy herbs Sow seed outside and under glass Take softwood cuttings Herb garden jobs..		Mulch around sweet peas Protect against slugs Plant ornamental grasses & bamboos Ornamental garden jobs..

Fruit Garden

Herb Garden

Ornamental Garden

Mulch around strawberries

Clear weeds around fruit trees & bushes

Prune new plum trees

Fruit garden jobs..

Plant out hardy herbs

Sow seed outside and under glass

Take softwood cuttings

Herb garden jobs..

Mulch around sweet peas

Protect against slugs

Plant ornamental grasses & bamboos

Ornamental garden jobs..

In general
Attract beneficial creatures to your garden and allotment. One way of doing this is to grow flowers to provide pollen and nectar for insects such as hoverflies and lacewings. Below is a list of easy-to-grow annuals which both you, and the beneficial insects, can enjoy. Grow them all over the garden or allotment - to help keep flowers, fruit and vegetables pest-free. Buckwheat Fagopyron esculentum Californian poppy Eschscholtzia californica Candytuft Iberis amara Convolvulus, annual Convolvulus tricolor Corn chamomile Anthemis arvensis Corn marigold Chrysanthemum segetum Poached Egg Plant Sunflower Cornflower Centaurea cyanus Dill Anethum graveolens French marigold Tagetes patula; Tagetes signata Golden marguerite Anthemis tinctoria Nemophila Nemophila spp Phacelia Phacelia tanacetifolia Poached egg plant Limnanthes douglasii Pot marigold Calendula officinalis Sunflower Helianthus annuus Sweet alyssum Lobularia maritima You can find seed of most of these flowers in the Organic Gardening Catalogue See our organic factsheet Attracting Beneficial Insects for more ways to entice more predators – available in the members' area of this website (requires members' password). See our other factsheets: Flowers for the wildlife garden Shrubs and climbers for the wildlife garden Trees for the wildlife garden Ladybirds Lacewings Online access to our organic factsheets is password-restricted to Garden Organic members'. Find out about becoming a Garden Organic member here You can download the complete list of factsheets with order form (PDF document - 101Kb) Don’t forget to look after your nettle patch too! Did you know that the nettle supports over 40 species of insect including some of our most colourful butterflies? For even more interesting facts and uses for nettles, visit www.nettles.org.uk and get involved in 'National Be Nice to Nettles week' from 18th – 29th May 2011. For more information go to our 'Nettles' organic factsheet available in the members area of the Garden Organic website (members' password required). Alternatively, visit the Topical questions & answers section for more information. Organic Gardening "Do's" Organic Gardening DOs and DON'Ts For more detailed guidance on what is, and isn't organic, have a browse through the Garden Organic Guidelines	Bee on marjoram Californian Poppy Ladybird eating aphids Phacelia

In general

Attract beneficial creatures to your garden and allotment.
One way of doing this is to grow flowers to provide pollen and nectar for insects such as hoverflies and lacewings. Below is a list of easy-to-grow annuals which both you, and the beneficial insects, can enjoy. Grow them all over the garden or allotment - to help keep flowers, fruit and vegetables pest-free.
- Buckwheat Fagopyron esculentum
- Californian poppy Eschscholtzia californica
- Candytuft Iberis amara
- Convolvulus, annual Convolvulus tricolor
- Corn chamomile Anthemis arvensis
- Corn marigold Chrysanthemum segetum
- Cornflower Centaurea cyanus
- Dill Anethum graveolens
- French marigold Tagetes patula; Tagetes signata
- Golden marguerite Anthemis tinctoria
- Nemophila Nemophila spp
- Phacelia Phacelia tanacetifolia
- Poached egg plant Limnanthes douglasii
- Pot marigold Calendula officinalis
- Sunflower Helianthus annuus
- Sweet alyssum Lobularia maritima
You can find seed of most of these flowers in the Organic Gardening Catalogue

See our organic factsheet Attracting Beneficial Insects for more ways to entice more predators – available in the members' area of this website (requires members' password).

See our other factsheets:
Online access to our organic factsheets is password-restricted to Garden Organic members'.

Find out about becoming a Garden Organic member here

You can download the complete list of factsheets with order form (PDF document - 101Kb)
Don’t forget to look after your nettle patch too!
Did you know that the nettle supports over 40 species of insect including some of our most colourful butterflies?

For even more interesting facts and uses for nettles, visit www.nettles.org.uk and get involved in 'National Be Nice to Nettles week' from 18th – 29th May 2011.

For more information go to our 'Nettles' organic factsheet available in the members area of the Garden Organic website (members' password required). Alternatively, visit the Topical questions & answers section for more information.
Organic Gardening "Do's"
Organic Gardening DOs and DON'Ts

For more detailed guidance on what is, and isn't organic, have a browse through the Garden Organic Guidelines

Bee on marjoram

Californian Poppy

Ladybird eating aphids

Phacelia

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