May gardening

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Contents 1 Gardening in May 1.1 May Gardening Calendar for Northern Gardeners 1.2 May Gardening Calendar for Southern Gardeners 2 Greenhouse and Indoor Plant Care for the month of May 3 Flower Gardening in May 4 The Fruit Garden in May 5 The Vegetable Garden in May

Gardening in May

May Gardening Calendar for Northern Gardeners

Frames need attention to watering and ventilation. Sow seeds for late crops of Cabbage and Cauliflower. Nothing is gained by setting out Egg-plants and Peppers too soon. Wait until it is really warm before removing from coldframes. You can keep the Onion and Carrot row stirred if you have planted Radishes and can see where the row is.

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Spray fruit. Plant Gladiolus till late in June. Plant about four inches deep. Dahlias may be planted for later blooming.

When planting be sure to divide Cannas.

In the region of Central New York it is hardly safe to set out any bedding stock before May 30 a frost usually comes quite near this date. Roses bought from nurserymen can be set out.

Spray Currants with arsenate of lead wash, against caterpillars.

Plant Gladiolus, tuberous-rooted Begonias, Caladiums, Cannas, Tuberose, Madeira vine. Start Asparagus seed to keep up your stock. Put up window boxes, porch boxes, hanging baskets.

Make another sowing of all crops already sown. Sow early Corn, Cucumber, Melon and Squash. Thin crops to prevent overcrowding. Examine Peach trees for borers. Spray for Codlin moth as soon as Apple blossoms have fallen. Dust with hellebore powder for cater- pillars on Gooseberries.

May Gardening Calendar for Southern Gardeners

Continue succession crops of String beans and Sweet corn. Sow Tomato seed in the open ground for late crop plants. Sow Celery seed on border on north side of building or fence. Prepare the bed smoothly and sow the seed in lines 6 in. Apart and pat them down with back of spade. Then cover bed with gunny sacks and water on these. As the seed germinates lift and gradually remove the sacks, and when the plants are large enough to handle transplant to another bed in rows a foot apart and 2 in. In the rows to make strong plants for setting in August.

Make third planting of Gladiolus corms. Lift Dahlia roots that have started and divide to single shoots and replant. If Canna beds are too thick lift them and divide the roots and replant. Plant Caladium esculentum. Any of these that have been left in the ground with a mulch should have the mulch removed. Sow more Tomato seed for late Fall crop. Transplant Egg-plants. Set succession Cabbages.

Greenhouse and Indoor Plant Care for the month of May

Many of the plants so carefully wintered over will now be in full bloom, and except on very cold nights firing in the green-house may be dispensed with ; still, during the first of the month care must be exercised in ventilating, on account of the cold winds. It will now be necessary to partially shade the glass, which may be done either by " burlaps " on rollers overhead, or more cheaply and simply by syringing the glass, outside, with a thin mixture of white lead and naphtha, spattering it on more thickly every week or two as the sun grows stronger. (See " Shading.")

Azaleas will now be at their best and will fully repay the care bestowed on them. As soon as they are done blooming they should be pruned into shape, and after being kept close and moist for a short time till they break, repotted for next season, and about the end of the month placed with Camellias and kindred plants in a slightly shady place, out-of-doors, where they may be freely syringed and attended to during summer.

The various plants that have done duty during winter should now be looked over; those that do best in pots repotted, while many will recuperate better if planted in the open border for the summer. All climbers, such as Cissus, Passifloras, Stephanotis, Allamandas, should be tied up and kept in order, and syringed freely every day to keep them clean and healthy, while the many varieties of Achimenes, Gloxinias, Begonias, etc., with Caladiums, Crotons, Draceenas, Marantas, etc., will keep the green-house gay till warm weather sets in. Poinsettias, Catalonian Jessamines and other plants intended for winter blooming should now be repotted, and Calla Lilies that have done flowering placed in a shady place, where the pots can be turned on their sides and left to dry off until time to repot them in fall.

Flower Gardening in May

The vacant beds in the flower garden should now be in order to receive the plants intended for them, which, with the exception of the more tender sorts, may be planted as soon as the weather is settled. Forget-me-nots, Pansies, Daisies, Polyanthus and other spring flowering plants are now at their best, and if they have been judiciously planted will be quite a feature in the garden. The rock-garden is also very interesting at this season, as it has been for some time, the various early plants, such as Hepaticas, Anemones, Snowdrops and other early bulbous plants, being most interesting. New lawns or grass plots if not sown before, should be sown at once ; none but the best selected seed should be used for this purpose. Permanent lawns should be mown and rolled as occasion requires, edges trimmed nicely and all flower beds kept free of weeds. Annuals for early flowering that have been sown in the frame or green-house may now be planted out, and such hardy sorts as Sweet alyssum, Mignonette, Candytuft and Phlox Drummondii sown in the open border.

Cuttings of Chrysanthemums if started now will make fine plants for fall flowering. As soon as Hyacinths, Tulips, etc., are done flowering, if their room is wanted, they should be carefully taken up and heeled in, in some out-of-the-way corner where they may ripen off their bulbs.

The Fruit Garden in May

Many of the smaller fruits may yet be planted, though with less prospect of success than if done earlier. As the various insect pests make their appearance, they must be checked at once ; a free application of tobacco dust mixed with Persian powder, dusted on liberally, will be found very efficacious. It is still better, however, used as a preventive ; for if the insects once get a foothold they are hard to dislodge. The hoe and cultivator must be kept constantly at work, not only to keep down weeds, but to loosen and aerate the soil.

The Vegetable Garden in May

As the ground gets warm, seeds of all the more tender vegetables, as Cucumbers, Melons, Squash, Corn, Lima Beans, Okra, etc., may be sown, and Cabbage, Cauliflower, Lettuce, etc., from the earlier sowings transplanted.

Toward the end of the month, if the weather looks settled, Tomatoes, Egg-plants, Peppers, Sweet Potatoes, etc., should be planted out, and succession crops of Peas, Beans, Corn, Lettuce and other vegetables planted every week or two. Field crops, such as Mangels, Carrots, Parsnips, etc., should also be sown and all necessary work promptly attended to.