Spring is trying to make its way in the high country and now is the time to get outdoors and swing into action with some high altitude gardening tips for May. The following gardening tips can be used at all altitudes, however, at high altitude the Spring season is much later and gardeners can’t work in their gardens too early or everything will freeze. At sea level or below 3,000 ft., these gardening tips still apply, however, you can start these gardening tips about a month earlier.
Gardening Tip #1
If you have potting or garden soil left over from last year, and it’s been in the garage all winter, you’ll need to bring it into the house for a few days to warm up before using it to plant seedlings or new plants. The same goes for any pots or hand tools that you intend to use for planting. This gardening tip is important because if the soil is too cold, your seedlings or plant may struggle or die. If you use plastic pots, they may crack when you water your plants if the pots have not been warmed up.
Gardening Tip #2
If there’s any indoor planting that needs to be done, now’s the time to do it. Spring brings longer days with more sunshine and new seedlings and plants will be encouraged to grow from the warmth of your home. The days and nights are still too cool to plant outdoors yet, so all planting must be done inside. Seeds for flowers, vegetables, and herbs should be started this month if you haven’t already done so.
Gardening Tip #3
During mid-April through mid-May, begin pruning all your plants and shrubs in your yard to encourage new growth. You may notice that some plants and shrubs have already begun their new growth. That’s what you want to see. This is an important gardening tip because once you prune your plants the new growth will grow faster. Use the pruned stems as mulch by cutting them into smaller pieces and placing them around the plants, not on top of the plants, or add them to your compost. Move mulch away from plant tops so that the sun can warm them up.
Gardening Tip #4
As the weather gets warmer, and if it’s not too windy, start hardening your plants (hardening means to slowly acclimate your plants to the outdoor weather). Bring pots of flowers, plants, or whatever you have onto the deck or in your yard in a semi-shaded area. They’re not ready for full sun yet, so make sure they’re in partial shade. Bring them back in if weather conditions change and become harsh, and bring them indoors each night as they’re not ready for night time conditions. Do not bring seedlings outdoors yet.
Gardening Tip #5
In May, begin feeding your outdoor gardens, plants, shrubs, and trees. This will help boost the growth of your plants and give them strength for the hot summer weather. An established garden or any established plant still needs to be fed. Check the weather and if you’ve got a few days of sunny or partly sunny days approaching, that’s when to feed your plants. Don’t feed them before a snow storm or rainstorm as you want the plants to absorb the plant food.
Gardening Tip #6
Here’s the fun gardening tip. Towards the end of May, when the weather is warm and more consistent, you can begin planting outdoors if your plants have been hardened. If your plants have not been hardened, don’t plant them yet as they’ll struggle and may die. Take the time to harden them. At this time you can also transplant any plants or shrubs that you need to. These plants are already outdoors so you don’t have to harden them.
Gardening Tip #7
Towards the end of May and when the weather becomes consistently warmer, check your gardens to see if more mulch is needed. This gardening tip is very important because more mulch may be needed to get your plants, shrubs, and trees ready for the hot summer. Mulch should be 2-3 inches deep to help hold moisture in for your plants. Using a cedar bark mulch will help keep bugs away.
Now that gardening season is nearly in full swing it is time to get on top of that beautiful outdoor space! Continue coming back to MommyMatter for many more great gardening tips all summer long.
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