What to do this Month – May

Vegetables

Sow French beans, runner beans, squash, cucumbers and pumpkin seeds directly into prepared beds outside. Be alert to late frosts, and if necessary cover tender seedlings with cloches or biodegradable or re-used old fleece.
Sow sweetcorn outside in blocks, at least 45cm (18in) spacing, with two seeds per hole. The strongest seedling can be selected later.
Sow cauliflowers and purple sprouting broccoli for harvesting next winter.
After all risk of frost has passed, plant out tomatoes, courgettes and pumpkins that were previously sown under cover.

Remove wayward shoots on fan-trained trees and tie in better placed ones.
Thin out crowded raspberry shoots.
Thin gooseberries if you want large fruit
Pull off suckers appearing around the base of fruit trees
Liquid feed fruit trees growing in pots every fortnight
Make sure bees can access caged and cloched fruit flowers to ensure pollination.

These tips have been taken from the Royal Horticultural Society, Grow your own section. Full details can be seen at