GARDEN JOBS

SEEDS TO SOW IN MAY 2023

May 17, 2023 by emma.londonuk 1 Comment

It’s May 2023 and it’s time to sow lots of seeds for your allotment garden! Now that the weather is warming up and there is more sunlight, it’s the perfect time for most seedlings and plants to thrive.

WHAT DOES DIRECT SOWING MEAN?

Direct sowing is what we call whacking stuff outside straight away. So if we are direct sowing a row of lettuce, what we mean is that the seeds are going directly into the ground outside to grow.

WHAT CAN I DIRECTLY SOW IN MAY?

  • Beetroot
  • Chard
  • Broccoli
  • Calabrese
  • Cabbage
  • Brussels Sprouts
  • Lettuce
  • Sweetcorn
  • Carrots
  • Turnips

I could write a much longer list that this! Basically, most vegetables can be planted directly outside at this time of year. The only downside of direct sowing is the fact you have to protect the all against pests straight away.

It’s a good idea to think about protection before sowing. So building netted structures, laying out egg shells or natural slug pellets and putting up scarecrows is going to be your first job before putting those seeds into the ground!

WHAT SHOULD I GROW INDOORS?

  • Courgettes
  • Cucumbers
  • Tomatoes
  • Pumpkins
  • French Beans
  • Squash

These seeds should all be sown indoors as they require heat to germinate. A heated greenhouse would also work well. Also, all of these crops are very susceptible to slug damage as they are simply irresistible to them!

Letting your plants grow large before planting them out gives them more chance of surviving attack!

Don’t plant any of the above crops outside until June when the weather will be nice a warm (hopefully!) and they will grow fast and strong, giving them even more chance of survival.

I DON’T HAVE ANY POTS?

Don’t have any pots or an endless supply of seed trays at your disposal? Nah, me neither. You can use any container to grow seeds in as long as they can hold soil and water and you put drainage holes in them!

Sweetcorn, for instance, grows really well in toilet roll tubes as they like to send their roots down deep! They also don’t like their roots to be disturbed and you can plant the entire roll in the ground without having to touch them at all!

Hope this has given you an idea of some seeds you can sow at this time of year. My best advice to you is to start whacking stuff in.