To Do List - May

We are never sure what’s around the proverbial corner when gardening is concerned, but one thing we can rely on in this part of the world is the onset of summer. One of the main reasons we decide to expatriate to Spain and Portugal is for the glorious sunshine and long warm days. But for those of us who have experienced several years in these climes, we know only too well that July through to September can be extremely hot, and like the locals we retreat to the cooler areas in the midday sun and preserve energy by taking a siesta. Unfortunately, our poor garden plants quite often have no choice but to blister it out so it’s no wonder that many will perish from lack of water and shade.

So May and June are great times to make sure you can prepare in advance to keep your garden hydrated through the coming season, ensuring your plants are healthy with plenty of flower and blossom. But this is only possible if you take some action now.

Plant Drought Tolerant Herbs
Some gardeners may cut back on herb planting at this year due to the approaching dry season combined with the cost of watering, and fear that some summer leaves will just bolt and set seed very quickly, but if you plan ahead for some Mediterranean herbs as your main group, they will require very little water due to their hardiness and tolerance for heat and drought. Rosemary, thyme, oregano and sage all do well with minimal watering once the roots have settled in, and will provide not only great additions to your salads and cookery but provide scent and flowers through the summer that even help to reduce flies and mosquitoes. If planted in the month of May and given water to settle in, you will find you have filled some gaps and brought some Mediterranean favourites to your garden.

Control Weeds Before They Flower
All plants, including weeds, are growing well by now. The plentiful April showers coupled with bright sunny days and combined to create weeds reaching Triffid proportions in no time at all. Before they have a chance to flower and spread their seed, they need to be removed. I would recommend they are hand pulled rather than scythed, as you are not removing the root in this manner. Then cover the area with a mulch to keep weeds from returning, or plant with some annual plants to fill the gaps.

Make sure your irrigation system has been serviced
Yes, we say it every year, but now is the time to check all your spray heads, sprinklers, hose fittings, valves and computers are all in good order. A tiny stone, a snail, a gecko, a blade of grass, a battery, a chafed wire, a loose join, can all be detrimental to the system and cost you a small fortune in water bills if the system has not been maintained. Just run the zones during the day, I expect at least every system to have some problems after the winter from something quite trivial, but if left too long, something small could end up being a disaster.

Plant Heat-Loving Vegetables
There is still time to plant vegetables that thrive in the summer heat and survive without constant watering once established.
These include corn, cucumbers, aubergine, green beans, okra, peppers, tomatoes, yellow squash, melons and courgettes.

Not only will you benefit from a harvest but many vegetable plants produce lovely flowers of their own and you are also helping the bee population in spreading pollen and bring in beneficial insects. I suggest also planting a row of the delightful nasturtiums around your vegetable beds, not just for added colour, as they act as fantastic barrier plants against predatory insects.

Thin fruit on young trees
There is always a temptation to overload new citrus or soft fruits on an immature tree. You could argue that if the tree has produced so much blossom it’s only natural to let it go on to fruit. But on new trees if you leave too much fruit, there is likely to be some structural damage to branches due to the heavy weight. Thin out by around 30% and it will give you beffer overall strength of the plant and will mean your fruit wiI oe tastier and more flavoursome. We do this with tomatoes by pinching out lateral shoots and topping, so don’t be alarmed by removing some of your fruits at this early stage too.

Wells and watering
It’s well recommend to dig wells around your more established trees and add a mulch of pine bark, composted manure or gravel, to keep any moisture retained in the soil and therefore the roots cool as summer approaches. Then for the next two months water thoroughly twice a week to encourage deep watering to the roots.

Deadheading and Pruning
We should be at the latter stages of pruning now, with the only work to be undertaken now being the use of secateurs to trim out dead wood or dead heading. Many plants will continue flowering if they are dead headed through the spring, but this is often overlooked in the garden. Roses, petunias, lavender, cestrum, solanums, tubalghias all love their dead flowers removed, as this will trigger them to produce more. It’s a routine that if carried out will give longer flowering periods through the summer.

Fertilising
Now is a good time to increase the nitrogen levels to many plants as we are in an active growing season with the higher temperatures. This is best done prior to rainfall or running of the irrigation. Plus don’t forget to keep adding compost to the garden beds. Think of it as food and a cooling blanket giving moisture and nutrition; all plants will thank you for a shovels worth.