Page 46 - Simply Vegetables Spring 2025

May
Another busy month still with plenty
of sowing and planting to do. Most of
the seeds I mentioned for sowing for
the last two months can still be sown.
I described the sowing methods then
some, I said, were best sown in drills
and some in either drills or cell trays
and some in pots. For all the seeds I
mentioned I told you which method
best for sowing so please refer to those
notes. One thing I must emphasise is to
sow seeds in small batches to spread
out the cropping. This particularly
applies to salad crops, you don’t want
thirty lettuces all ready at once, do you?
If you sowed any seeds in drills in the last
month or so the seedlings need thinning
out in stages until they get to their final
positions. Seeds sown earlier in either pots
or cell trays need reducing to one seedling
per pot or cell. Much of this will need doing
this month. Also, depending on when the
seeds were sown, some may be ready for
planting if they are growing well. However,
don’t forget what I said last month about
potting brassicas into 5-inch (12.5 cm.)
pots to help prevent club root. Also, don’t
forget that whatever you are planting rake
in some general fertiliser such as fish, blood
and bone before planting.
If salad crops were sown in cell trays and
the roots have filled the cells, they can be
planted out now.
The tender veg that I listed last month
can be planted towards the end of the
month but only if you live in a mild part of
the country, otherwise, leave them till June.
The same applies to dahlias and all the
half-hardy annual flowers.
Chrysanths are not tender like dahlias,
and this is the main month for planting
them. They can be planted among other
plants in a mixed border, but I think they
Brassicas planted 46 Simply Vegetables
Aubergines in final pots
are better in a bed of their own. I have
horizontal wires across my bed fixed to
the fence at one end and to T posts at the
other. Canes are put in along the rows 18
inches (45 cm.) apart and
fixed to the wires with V clips.
When the plants are planted,
I tie them to the canes and
tie the label to the top of the
cane.
If you are planting any
plants that need staking,
always put the canes in first.
The length of the canes
needed and the distance
apart, of course, depends on
the eventual height of the
plants. I have said that I plant Chrysanths
18 inches (45 cm.) apart but the canes can
be either 4 feet (1.2 metres) or 5 feet( 1.5
metres) apart depending on the variety.
Dahlias also need canes of this length but
some need to be up to two and a half feet
If you are
planting any
plants that
need staking,
always put the
canes in first
(75 cm.) apart. Annuals vary a lot in height
and need canes 2 feet (60 cm.) up to 4 feet
(1.2 metres) and anything from 9 inches
(22.5 cm.) to 18 inches (45 cm.) apart.
Always tie the plants to the
canes right away for smaller
plants you can use twist it
clips but twine for larger
ones.
The size of dahlia plants
varies but most of them need
more room than Chrysanths
so need planting two feet (60
cm.) apart or two and a half
feet (75 cm.) .
Dwarf French beans can
be planted, or sown ,6 inches
(15 cm.) apart, climbing varieties 9 inches
(22.5 cm.), apart. Other veg crops that I
mentioned need up to 18 inches (45 cm.)
between plants. One thing to remember is
that sweet corn must be planted in blocks
rather than in rows because they are wind
pollinated and if planted in rows pollination
is poor.
Sweet peas and gladioli can still be
planted if not done last month, as I
described then. Onion sets and also onions
grown from seed can be planted if not
done before.
In the greenhouse, tomatoes, cucumbers,
peppers and aubergines can still be
planted either in the greenhouse border or
in their final pots. If tomatoes were planted
last month they should be growing well.
Chrysanths planted