Gardening To Do List for May - Big Y® World Class Market®

OUTDOORS

Late frost is possible.

PLANT

Bare-root plants in Zones 4 and 5 , evergreens, container-grown trees and shrubs (including roses) ground covers, perennials, annuals and tropical water lilies.
Zones 4 and 5: Sow cool- and warm-season vegetables and herbs when soil temperature reaches 60 degrees. Transplant vegetable and herb seedlings to garden.
Zone 6: Sow warm-season vegetables and herbs. Transplant warm-season vegetable seedlings to garden.

CHORES AND MAINTENANCE

Complete major lawn work.
Mulch azaleas, rhododendrons, laurel, and pieris with thick, acid mulch (pine needles, oak leaves, compost).
Dig and divide early-blooming perennials after flowering.
Pinch back chrysanthemums and asters to thicken plants and delay blooms.
In the vegetable garden:

Thin seedling of early-planted crops such as carrots, lettuce, spinach, and beets to their proper spacing.
After the danger of frost is past, plant frost-tender plants, including warm-season vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and vine crops.
Set cutworm collars and also set stakes, poles, and trellises for vining vegetables.
Watch for cabbage worms, leaf miners, cutworms and other caterpillars.

INDOORS

Begin to move cold-temperature houseplants (azalea, camellia, Christmas cactus, cyclamen, and gardenia) outdoors when nighttime temperatures stabilize around 68 degrees. Plants dry out more outdoors, but moisture loss can be slowed by sinking the pots in the soil.
Take cutting of houseplants. Root the cutting in potting soil, vermiculite, or perlite. (Roots grown in water tend to be weak from lack of oxygen and do not adjust well to planting in soil.)

TOOL TIP

Popular in the United Kingdom, the Springbok rake removes unwanted growth such as moss and thatch. It's also good for lawn-cleaning tasks, including removing leaves, grass cuttings and general garden debris.
Try a three-spike-wheel ground hawg to work large areas and wide garden rows. It's perfect for tilling both sides of a row at once without harming the plants.