April is coined as National Gardening Month, but us Cape Cod locals know that April can be still cold, wet, and not at all optimal for starting your garden. Many of us are using May to officially kick off our gardening season. In light of this, our team at Agway put together the ultimate May Gardening To-Do List!
1. Sharpen and Prepare Your Gardening Tools
As you start preparing your garden, the first thing you will need to do is break out your gardening tools. Make sure your tools are in the best shape possible by taking the time to sharpen and clean each one. Take stock of what tools you may need to purchase or upgrade for the upcoming gardening season. It’s always a great feeling to have the freshest and sharpest tools in the shed!
2. Fertilize Your Garden
Fertilize your garden with a balanced fertilizer this month to start your gardening season on the right foot. Don’t forget that once your vegetables and plants start to sprout, it’s still crucial to continue applying fertilizer to facilitate growth and production. Are you working with clay soil or a sandy soil? Check in with an Agway specialist to see which fertilizer is best for your garden and your goals!
3. Start Planting Summer Vegetables
Vegetables such as eggplants, peppers, zucchini, and summer squash thrive in the summer heat. It’s a great idea to plan ahead and plant these seeds now. Think about which vegetables you’d enjoy having in your garden and in your fresh summer recipes! There is nothing better than preparing summer dishes with fresh picks from your garden.
Once your neighbors catch wind that you’re using fresh ingredients from your garden every evening, they’ll be finding ways to come over and join you!
4. Plant Your Perennials
May is also a great time to start planting perennials in your garden. Try not to do this a hot day, because planting them in a hot temperature could cause your plants to experience heat shock. Choose a day with a mild forecast and lay the foundation for your perennials!
5. Wipe Out Your Weeds!
Weeds are unavoidable when gardening and can unfortunately stunt the growth of the plants and crops in your budding garden. The last thing you want is for pesky weeds to be competing for light, nutrients, and water with the plants that you’re working so hard to grow. Keep the weeds at bay with a hoe or with hand pulling once a week. Manually pulling your weeds will make more of a lasting impact than using a chemical or solution. Dust off your gardening gloves and dig in!
Visit us at any of our Cape Cod locations if you have questions or need help getting your garden up and running. May is the perfect time of year to get started and we hope to see you in store soon!
If you’re sharing photos of your gardening progress, feel free to tag us at @agwaycapecod! We would love to be a part of your summer gardening journey.