May - monthly review

The allotment has really kicked on this month. The weather has been changeable, with some warm and sunny days followed by wet, windy and particularly cold spells. One thing that has been a constant is the ever increasing light - not always bright sunshine, but noticeably longer days spurring on growth.

At the plot the blossom came out in force during the month. There was a period, round about the second week of May, when pretty much every fruit tree was in flower! It was a lovely sight and one I've not witnessed before. There's normally a staggered effect of plums first, pears, cherries then apples. This year, May simply went 'boom' due to the delayed spring. I'm estimating a pretty good fruit crop this year. The blossom received enough dry and warm weather for the bees to do their thing and the wet and windy weather meant conditions were cool but, importantly, not frosty. No damage to blossom = good potential harvest.


Cherry - Stella

Pear (Doyenne du Comice) and Apple (Bramley)

Bramley Apple blossom close-up

Cluster of pear blossom - Doyenne du Comice

The fruit bushes have really progressed too. The various currants and gooseberries came into flower and now display plenty of immature fruit. The strigs of currants are there for all to see, including the fat wood pigeons, so I'll have to get busy with some netting before there's any sign of colour. I know from experience that birds will take very unripe berries showing the merest sign of colour. They would be unpalatable to us for weeks but that doesn't stop the greedy pigeons and blackbirds. The only way to ensure a harvest is to cover with well-secured netting. 

Redcurrant in flower

The gooseberries also become a target as they swell. I don't really net these as I have enough to go round. What I normally do is pick every other immature fruit to coincide with the elder flowering and make a batch of lovely jam. I expect this to be from mid June this year. The remaining fruit has more room to grow and ripen for use in fools and crumbles from July. If the pigeons take a few so be it - I'm the only one in our household who really likes gooseberries so I can spare a few!

The final fruit-related update is that the strawberries and raspberries are really moving.  I gave the strawberry bed a tidy up, dressed with chicken manure pellets and covered with a good mulch. As soon as we had some rain, followed by a bit of warmth, the plants really responded well. I expect a good crop - again to be netted from birds and squirrels. The raspberries are yet to flower but the buds are formed and it looks like a decent show. Hopefully a bit more sunshine and less rain than last year will make them tastier and less insipid.

This May has really brought home the benefit of my new greenhouse. Without it I'd be many weeks behind, or simply buying lots of plants to make up for those I'd have lost. The protection of glass means I have tomatoes in flower and various other tender crops growing away nicely. I have set myself the target of picking a ripe tomato by the end of June. There are plenty of flowers and the first truss on one of my Sungold plants has set fruit. The earliest I've ever picked tomatoes is about the third week of July so, in this very cold year to date, I'd be delighted to achieve this minor milestone.

Throughout the month I have pricked out and potted on a range of tender subjects. The melon and cucumbers have sulked a little but are strong and well. The courgettes have pushed on nicely and I planted three out yesterday as they looked ready to go and a decent weekend is forecast. The other cucurbits are a couple of weeks away from their final homes yet. There is plenty of time and they'll benefit from warmer soil and becoming stronger plants in the relative comfort of the cold frame. The okra and aubergines, firsts for me this year, seem fine and will be set in bottomless pots on growbags by mid month. I think the only exotics which are not best pleased are the peppers. They are ok, but haven't pushed on as much as I'd hoped given that they were sown back in early March. I think it's just been a bit too cool for them, even under glass, and the night time temperatures in particular need to lift a degree or two to make them truly happy.

In the open ground, there is still more bare earth than lush foliage. The spuds are all through now and the recent rain has really suited them. I have planted 16 red cabbages to mature in late summer. The germination of direct sown seeds has been patchy - I have one row of mixed beetroot and one very poor row of parsnips. Carrots all germinated but were hoovered up by slugs. Note to self - must work out a way of growing decent carrots next year. Leek seedlings have been sown and resemble blades of grass. They'll fatten up and replace the first early potatoes from July. The one thing I need to push on with is sowing the brassicas for autumn and winter. Plenty of time for calabrese broccoli but the purple sprouting form needs to get going soon. I also need to sow some sprouts asap and it's time for a row of two of swedes.

So, there you have it. A whole month condensed into a few paragraphs. I'm really pleased with progress during May. Admittedly it's been slim pickings in terms of harvest - the last leeks, rhubarb and some spring greens - but by the end of June there should be much more on offer and I can also look forward to a bumper summer harvest. Little gem lettuce is a week or two away, the baby gooseberries are ready for a dose of sugar, the first strawberries will kick in if we have some sunshine and that elusive June tomato could be mine for the eating...