Hello Little Green Growers and welcome back to another blog! May is here, and the sun is starting to shine! There's so much to sow and grow this month! Here a few highlights of plants you might like to grow to change things up a bit this year! The good news is they are easy grow for beginners too!
But watch out for late frosts, as we had some in May last year!
They love a fertile soil, so make sure to use rich compost and/or plant food to prepare your beds before sowing.
Sow seeds indoors in 10cm pots at a depth of 2cm. Or catch up with some ready grown organic courgette plants!
Make sure to space them at least 60cm apart when planting out
Courgettes love water so keep them hydrated!
May and June are the best months to plant asparagus crowns in Ireland
Easy to grow from crowns as they are already 1 year old
Simply plant in rich well draining soil in a sunny sheltered site or raised bed
Hand weed and keep well fed
Water during drought and while establishing
Wait 1-2 years before beginning to harvest - then enjoy for up to 20 years - amazing!
If you want to grow your own pumpkins for carving and pumpkin pie this autumn, time to get started!
You can sow indoors now, or outdoors from late May. Or skip the hard part and get pumpkin plants!
Pumpkins are really fun to grow, just make sure to give them plenty of space in a sunny sheltered location . Harden off before planting out!
Time for something a little different! Try your hand at growing sweetcorn for your own delicious corn on the cob at late summer BBQs!
They also look great as a feature in your garden, and will shelter other plants from the wind.
For smaller gardens, plant in a block of at least 9 plants in a 3x3 square, with a foot between each plant
This allows the plants to pollinate each other with the wind, meaning better taste and fewer empty kernels
Or companion plant with beans and a member of the squash family [e.g. pumpkin or courgette (the "three sisters" method!]
Earth up and/or stake to protect agains strong winds
Cape gooseberries are small yellow round shaped fruits with a sweet and tangy taste. They look like small tomatoes. Using Cape Gooseberry plants will give you a longer growing season, or you can start them from seed.
Kids will love peeling back the 'lantern' to find the berry inside (wash hands and fruit before eating)
These plants grow best in a warm, sheltered spot in full sun, though they will tolerate a little shade.
They are annuals but can be overwintered inside and will survive milder winters outside under cover
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