May is really the time to start planting outdoors and making the most out of the increasing temperatures. The soil should have been warmed up in March/April and so should be ready to be planted into directly.

This month, there are a number of different vegetables that you can harvest. Some of the more usual ones include spring cauliflowers, lettuces, radishes, spinach, asparagus, Swiss chard and spinach beet, rhubarb, spring onions, artichokes and spring cabbages. Many of these vegetables will have carried on producing good wield from last month and you should harvest them in the same way as you have before. Turnips will be ready to be harvested for the first time, you should pick turnips when they are still small and young as this is when they taste best. Also, among the vegetables to be harvested are chop suey greens, oriental leaves and garlic. Oriental leaves, such as mizuna, should be picked for salads whilst the leaves are still young and tender. Chop suey greens should be picked before their buds open and also used for salads; you will find that they are an edible type of chrysanthemum. Garlic is best harvested and used whilst the heads are still green and mild-tasting.

When sowing in May, it is best if you stagger out the process. If you plant a batch of seeds every two or three weeks then you will find that you have increased chances of success and a more staggered harvest period. If you plant your entire crop of seeds all at once then you may find that you lose the large majority of them if a frost occurs overnight. Vegetable seeds that can be sown outdoors without any protection if the weather is good are Belgian and witloof chicory, Florence fennel, kohl rabi, Kale, spinach, oriental leaves, lettuces, root vegetables, swedes and peas. Seeds that you will need to sow outdoors and under the cover of cloches or cold frames include beetroot, corn salad, cucumbers, French beans, runner beans, herbs, cabbages, cauliflowers and other brassicas and sweetcorn. These vegetables are still vulnerable to damage by frost and so should be protected. To be on the safe side, you should still sow melons, courgettes, pumpkins, chillies, peppers, gherkins, sprouting broccoli and marrows indoors, either in a greenhouse or on a window sill that is open to sunlight. When sowing seeds it is entirely up to you as to where you plant them. If you believe that the weather is still too cold to begin sowing seeds and that there are incoming frosts that will damage large amounts of your crops then you should plant all seeds indoors or undercover.

Written by Matthew Thorns