May Gardening Tips for the Pacific Northwest
Last updated: May 25, 2021
Pink dahlia
May is officially here. I know for many of us throughout the United States, the month of May felt like a dream that would never come. The birds are singing, the grass is actually turning greener and the temperatures are warming up.
Every week, we post regional monthly gardening tips. Today, we are focusing on May in the Pacific Northwest Region. We will examine four different areas, landscaping, fruits and vegetables, perennial and annuals and lastly, general gardening tips.
May Gardening Tips
Landscaping Tips:
- Mow your lawn at a higher level, about 3-4 inches and instead of picking up the grass clippings Organic Gardening recommends to leave them where they lay to add nourishment.
Fruit and Vegetable Tips:
- If you are looking to have vegetables all season long, make sure to plant in the early season, the mid season and the late. You can do this with beans, cabbage and broccoli.
- When the risk of frost has past and your soil temperatures is 70 degrees or above you can plant melons, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant.
Perennial and Annual Tips:
- May is the perfect month to fertilize your roses.
- This month the Old Farmers’ Almanac recommends for spring-blooming perennials to cut them back around 3 inches in height after they are done blooming.
- Two great flowers to plant this month are dahlias and gladioli.
General Gardening Tips for May:
- Make sure you know the last frost date for your area before you put out any frost-sensitive flower and vegetables. You can find out that information by entering your zip code or city, state into the Old Farmers’ Almanac First and Last Frost Calculator.
- This month start an herb garden. Check out our article about 7 Must Grow Herbs for Beginner Gardeners.
What is your favorite thing about May? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
