May in the Veg Plot
May, 2012
It's been, without doubt a strange start to the veg growing season down here in Devon. A ridiculously dry and warm March has given way to freezing wet April. Whilst the rain is a godsend, the cool temperatures have slowed plant growth right down. Here's a picture I took in my back garden on 2rd May last year:
Just look at the size of those salad leaves! This year the same crop is only a fraction of the size, and I'm certainly not harvesting anything.
But let's not get disheartened, May weather looks set to continue the wet theme, but with temperatures on the increase we can expect a surge of growth on the veg plot.
It's time to press on with May sowings if you haven't got them in the ground already. Practically every variety of veg seed can be sown this month, but if you're short of space my absolute essentials include: Beetroot, Carrots, Coriander, French parsley, Kale, Lettuce, Mange tout peas, Perpetual Spinach, Radishes, Spring onions, Swiss Chard.
Hold off Planting Out Tender Veg
May is also the time to plant out frost-tender veg that’s been grown from seed inside. With the cool current temperatures my advice is to hold off planting out tender veg like courgettes, squash, tomatoes and cucumbers for the time being. Whilst you may not get any frosts which would kill them, they'll grow on much more quickly if you've got space to keep them inside for the next couple of weeks. Move them onto bigger pots if you see lots of roots emerging from your Jiffy 7s, or roots are starting to spiral when you remove a plant from its pot.
It’s also a good idea to earth up the new delicate shoots of new potatoes if it looks like a frost is heading your way.
Beans – Choose Climbing over Dwarf
May is also the ideal time to sow beans. You’ve got two options - dwarf or climbing varieties. Dwarf varieties only grow to about 3ft tall and there’s no need for structures for them to climb up, so they’re lower maintenance. Despite this I would recommend you go for climbing varieties. This approach makes great uses of space, giving you a bigger harvest for the ground they take up, plus you get a longer harvest. You will need to construct a tepee of canes, or an inverted V frame for them to scramble up, but it’s well worth the effort. The beans at the bottom will ripen first, then you can gradually work your way up, harvesting higher as the season progresses.
French beans are my favourites – try Cobra or Cantare. Then of course there’s runner beans. Only sow a few of these because they are prolific producers. Scarlet Emporer is an heirloom variety which produces stunning flowers as well as delicious tasting beans.
In the meantime we're making full use of our perennial veg and herbs (which grow back year after year) like french sorrel, lemon balm, mint, chives (see header), sage, rosemary, and thyme. Because the roots are established they're not as affected by the cold temperatures as newly sown seed, and we're relying on them right now to give us the wonderful rich flavours of this seasons harvest.
Enjoy growing and eating your veg!
Peter
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