Checklist for May Gardening: Grow, Forage, and Flourish

Have you ever noticed how May feels like nature’s real opening act? After weeks of tentative buds and chilly mornings, your garden finally throws off the winter blanket and springs into action. If you blink too long, you’ll miss the peonies blooming, the tomatoes plotting their summer takeover, and the weeds staging quiet rebellion.  May isn’t just a month for admiring the view; it’s a call to arms. A well-timed checklist can distinguish between a backyard resembling a glossy gardening magazine cover or a botanical mutiny. Lucky for you, we’ve gathered expert tips, clever hacks, and a few wild adventures (hello, foraging) to help you cultivate a sustainable lifestyle through May and beyond.

Prep Your Garden Beds and Soil

Before planting anything in your garden beds, give your soil a once-over. Remove winter debris, pull out persistent weeds by the roots (extra tenacious this year), and amend the soil with rich compost or a balanced, organic fertilizer.

Check for sagging edges or compacted soil if you work in raised beds. In-ground gardeners should loosen dirt with tilling tools, ensuring roots have an easier time pushing through. Adding a fresh layer of compost now will set your plants up for a stronger, healthier growing season. Think of it as serving a green smoothie to your garden—instant energy.

Plant Warm-Season Vegetables and Annuals

May is when the superstars of the summer vegetable garden have their moment. If frost danger has passed in your region (zones 6-8 are clear by now), it’s time to plant:

• Tomatoes
• Peppers
• Squash
• Cucumbers
• Corn
• Melons
• Basil, zinnias, marigolds, and heat-loving annuals

Ensure transplants are hardened off (acclimated to the outdoors) before planting them directly in the ground. Give them a strong start by planting them deeply, especially tomatoes, and watering thoroughly.

Bonus tip: Installing your cages or stakes at planting time saves root disturbance later.

Feed, Mulch, and Water Wisely

May can swing between sunny showers and sizzling dry spells, so watering and feeding habits must be adaptable. Once your seedlings and transplants are tucked in, treat them to a slow-release fertilizer to support growth without burning roots.

Mulch is your best friend this month. A two- to three-inch layer of organic mulch (straw, shredded leaves, or bark) helps regulate soil temperature, holds moisture, and suppresses weed growth. Ergo, mulching now saves you countless hours of weeding over the summer, like hiring a silent garden assistant (the best help).

Control Weeds, Pests, and Garden Invaders

The minute you relax, they strike: weeds, slugs, aphids, and larger marauders like deer, rabbits, and birds. Regular inspection is essential. In May, pests sneak under leaves and at the base of stems, so check your garden from top to bottom when scouting for invaders.

Keep an arsenal of gentle pest control tools ready. Think neem oil and diatomaceous earth. For weeds, use a sharp hoe in the mornings before it gets too hot outside. And if furry or feathered garden thieves are the issue, lightweight row covers, fencing, or rocks painted to look like giant bugs can protect crops without harming wildlife.

Support Pollinators and Prune with Purpose

If you want a garden that buzzes with life (and generous harvests to match), roll out the proverbial red carpet for pollinators. Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds are more than cute guests; they’re the behind-the-scenes workers making possible fruits, veggies, and flowers.

Here’s how you can create a pollinator paradise:

• Plant various nectar-rich flowers like bee balm, milkweed, echinacea, and lavender to attract diverse pollinators.

• Include blooms in different shapes, sizes, and colors. Pollinators have preferences, and variety ensures everyone finds something to love.

• Skip pesticides, especially during bloom times. Even organic sprays can harm helpful insects if mistimed.

• Offer shallow water sources like birdbaths with stones, floating corks, or marbles for thirsty pollinators to land on safely.

• Leave “wild” space. This corner of your yard contains native plants and grass where pollinators can nest and shelter.

While pollinators get to work, you can prune with purpose. Deadhead spring bulbs, shape flowering shrubs like lilacs and azaleas after blooming, pinch back herbs for bushier growth, and remove dead or damaged branches to boost airflow. Strategic snipping creates a healthier, more vibrant garden all season long.

Harvest Early Crops and Start Succession Planting

Now is when you’ll reap your first rewards if you planted cool-season crops like radishes, spinach, peas, or lettuce in early spring. Harvest regularly to encourage continued production, and don’t be shy about pulling bolting plants (especially leafy greens) before they become bitter.

While you’re munching through early harvests, consider succession planting. This means sowing new rounds of seeds every two to three weeks. It’s the best way to stretch your harvest window, avoiding the dreaded “everything ripened at once and now it’s rotting on the counter” problem. Quick crops like bush beans, baby carrots, and beets are excellent for May succession planting.

Explore Nature’s Bounty: Join a Spring Foraging Class

Gardening is all about tuning into what nature freely offers. May is bursting with wild edibles, like tender chickweed, peppery wild mustard, earthy mushrooms, and honeysuckle (to name a few). If you’ve ever been curious about safe, sustainable foraging, now is the perfect time to learn.

Stoney Creek Farm in Tennessee is hosting a Spring Foraging Class this May, where you can learn firsthand how to responsibly identify, harvest, and prepare wild plants. Foraging is a fantastic way to deepen your connection to nature and enhance your culinary adventures in the kitchen.

Think of homemade dandelion jelly or wild violet syrup.

Combining traditional gardening with foraging skills can turn your green thumb into a full-fledged celebration of seasonal abundance.

In Conclusion

May is the call to a sustainable lifestyle that begins in the garden. Prep your beds, plant your favorite vegetables, nurture what grows, fend off invaders, and savor the fruits of your labor (both cultivated and wild). Your garden can flourish with planning and passion.

Ready to get growing? Contact Stoney Creek Farm to learn more about gardening, foraging, and the magic of May for sustainable living.