May marks the beginning of late autumn in New Zealand, and it’s time to prepare your garden for the upcoming winter months. Here’s a comprehensive checklist to help you keep your garden in top shape during May.
General Garden Maintenance
- Weeding: Regularly remove weeds to prevent them from competing with your plants for nutrients and water.
- Mulching: Apply a thick layer of mulch around plants to conserve moisture, suppress weeds, and insulate roots from cold temperatures.
- Cleaning: Clean up fallen leaves and plant debris to prevent pests and diseases. Add healthy organic matter to your compost pile.
- Tool Maintenance: Clean and sharpen garden tools to keep them in good working condition for winter pruning and other tasks.
Vegetable Garden
- Planting: Sow seeds for winter vegetables such as garlic, onions, shallots, and broad beans. Transplant seedlings of cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and spinach.
- Harvesting: Harvest remaining summer crops such as tomatoes, peppers, and pumpkins before the first frost.
- Cover Crops: Sow green manure crops like lupins, mustard, or oats to improve soil health and fertility for the next growing season.
- Fertilizing: Apply a balanced organic fertilizer to winter vegetables to support their growth during the cooler months.
Fruit Garden
- Pruning: Prune deciduous fruit trees such as apples, pears, and stone fruits once they have dropped their leaves. Remove dead, diseased, or crossing branches to improve airflow and shape the tree.
- Mulching: Apply mulch around the base of fruit trees and bushes to retain moisture and protect roots from frost.
- Planting: May is a good time to plant new fruit trees and bushes. Ensure they are well-watered and mulched to help them establish before winter.
- Netting: Protect late-ripening fruits from birds by covering trees and bushes with netting.
Flower Garden
- Planting: Plant winter and spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils, tulips, crocuses, and hyacinths. Also, plant winter annuals like pansies, violas, and primroses for color during the colder months.
- Pruning: Prune roses and other deciduous shrubs after they finish blooming to shape them and remove dead or diseased wood.
- Deadheading: Remove spent flowers from perennials and annuals to encourage more blooms and maintain a tidy appearance.
- Dividing: Divide and replant overcrowded perennials such as irises, daylilies, and hostas.
Lawn Care
- Mowing: Continue to mow the lawn, but gradually raise the mower height to leave the grass slightly longer for winter protection.
- Feeding: Apply a slow-release autumn lawn fertilizer to strengthen the grass and prepare it for winter.
- Aerating: Aerate the lawn to improve drainage and reduce compaction, especially in areas with heavy foot traffic.
- Weeding: Remove weeds manually or use a selective herbicide to keep the lawn looking its best.
Container Gardening
- Watering: Check container plants regularly and water as needed, ensuring the soil is not waterlogged. Reduce watering frequency as temperatures drop.
- Feeding: Use a slow-release fertilizer or liquid feed for container plants to support their growth during the cooler months.
- Protection: Move containers to sheltered spots to protect plants from frost and cold winds. Use frost cloth or covers if necessary.
- Re-potting: Re-pot container plants that have outgrown their pots or need fresh soil.
Herb Garden
- Harvesting: Harvest herbs such as basil, parsley, and mint before the first frost. Dry or freeze herbs for winter use.
- Protection: Move tender herbs like basil and rosemary indoors or to a greenhouse to protect them from frost.
- Planting: Plant cold-hardy herbs such as thyme, sage, and oregano in the garden or containers.
Conclusion
By following this comprehensive gardening checklist for May, you can keep your garden healthy and well-maintained throughout the late autumn months in New Zealand. These tasks will help prepare your garden for winter and ensure a beautiful and productive garden year-round. Happy gardening!
