Vegetable Growing Timeline

Welcome to May’s Growing Timeline, a round up of what to Sow, Grow & Harvest in May.

The sun is now warm, daylight hours long and frost has passed in most areas. Yipee you can sow and grow almost anything!

May 2024 Weather Statistics in East England, UK

Daylight Hours in UK: 16 hours a day. To find your daylight hours, visit: TimeandDateUK and TimeandDateUSA
No of Rainy Days: 26
No of Sunny/cloudy Days: 5
Average Temperature High: 14 degrees Centigrade. (Previous years – 20 degrees C)
Average Temperature Low: 8 degrees centigrade. (Previous years – 10 degrees C)

May 2024 Weather

In the UK, May in 2024 has been very wet. Nearly three-quarters of the month were rainy days and just under a Quarter were sunny days.

This has brought out the slugs and snails and a lot of vegetable growers are having problems with prolonged periods of wet soil.

I’ve noticed some of my Plants look stressed because of overwatering from rain, lack of sunshine and diseases that are associated with lack of nutrients in the soil or colder temperatures are occurring.

Vegetable Seeds Sowed in May

Courgette, cucumber and pumpkin seedlings in the greenhouse

Mini Melon ‘Minnesota Midget’,
Squash ‘Jester F1’,
Ball Courgette ‘Summer Holiday F1’,
Mini Cucumber ‘Piccolino F1 Mini’,
Pumpkin ‘Bellatrix F1’,
Lettuce ‘Apache Red’,
Lettuce ‘Waldorf Dark Green’

Potted on from April

Tomato ‘Cherrola F1’ in the Hozelock Growbag Waterer

Cherry Red Tomatoes – 3 best sized plants are in the Hozelock Grow Bag Waterer.
Cherry Orange Tomatoes x 4 potted on into bigger pots.
Sweet Peppers ‘Napia’ red and ‘Tangerine Dream’ orange potted on to large pots in greenhouse.
Brussels sprouts – potted on in 9cm pots.
Basil – planted into bigger pots – pinch out the top shoots with leaves on the main stem to harvest . The plants will go bushier then. I harvested the tops of 6 plants already for Classic Pesto which we have with chicken and vegetables.
Lettuce – Red and green.

Plants moved out of the Greenhouse

Cherry Red Tomatoes,
Cherry Orange Tomatoes,
Sunflowers and other flowers,
Coriander,
Sweetcorn,
Leeks,
Basil,
Lettuce.

Outdoors in a Raised Bed in May

Raised Bed 1

Spring Garlic – fattening up nicely. Planted March.
Radish – French Breakfast’. Sown in Late April. Harvesting Late May.
Cherry Red ‘Cherrola F1’ Tomatoes x 3 planted out in May.
Cherry Orange ‘Tangerine Dream’ Tomatoes x 3 planted out in Late May.
Basil – Planted out late May as slugs were eating it in the greenhouse.
Spring Onion – growing strong amongst the Radishes.
Lettuce ‘Apache’ Red – planted late May.
Lettuce ‘Waldermans Dark’ – planted late May.

Raised Bed 2

Broad Beans ‘Elenora’ are still flowering, put on a lot of height and are producing small pods.
Onions ‘Hercules F1 Planted out in Early May.
Chives – still flowering & harvesting, overwintered from last year.

Raised Bed 3

Sunflowers – Planted out Mid May.
Sweetcorn ‘GoldCrest F1’ – 19 plants planted out Late May.

Raised Bed 4

🧅 Onions ‘Hercules F1’ planted into Bed 4 at the end of April. Has put on a lot growth since April.
Leeks ‘Oarsman F1’ – planted outside at the beginning of May. Growing thicker leaves.
Parsnip ‘Gladiator F1’ – sowed early May, germinated mid May and have 4 leaves.
Carrots ‘Marion F1’ – sowed Mid April, and putting on strong leaf growth.

In Pots – Outside – May

My Vegetables are being grown in 30L pots with handles on the Patio.

🥔 1st Early Potatoes ‘Casablanca’- Lots of leaves and stems, both pots are flowering.
🫛 Peas ‘Twinkle’ – are flowering and producing pods. However the pigeons have attacked them and there are now no pods.
🧅 Onions ‘Hercules F1’ Leaves and bulbs are fattening up.

Sowings Timeline – Vegetables in May

Weekend 4 – 5 May

Seeds Sown

🥒 Sowed Mini Cucumber ‘Piccolino F1 Mini’ seeds in the unheated Greenhouse.
Sowed Courgette ‘Summer Holiday F1’ seeds in the unheated Greenhouse.
Sowed Parsnip ‘Gladiator F1’ seeds outside in Raised Bed 4.

Seeds Germinated

🥕 Carrots ‘Marion F1’ germinated in Raised Bed 4.
Red Cabbage ‘Red Acre’ germinated in the Unheated greenhouse.
🎃 Pumpkin ‘Bellatrix F1’ seeds germinated in the unheated greenhouse.
Lettuce ‘Red Apache’ and ‘Waldmans Dark Green’ germinated.

Planted outside in Raised Beds

🧅 Planted more Onion ‘Hercules F1’ sets in cell trays out into Raised Bed 2.
🌽 Sweetcorn ‘Gold Crest F1’ planted outdoors in Raised Bed 3.
Leek ‘Oarsman F1’ planted out at the beginning of May to Raised Bed 4.

Weekend 11 – 12 May

Seeds Sown

🍈 Mini Melon ‘Minnesota Midget’ seeds sown,
Savoy Cabbage ‘Ormskirk’ – seeds sown.
Squash ‘Jester F1’ seeds sown.

Veg potted on

🌶️ Sweet Pepper ‘Napia’ and Tangerine Dream’ potted on to final large pots
Brussels Sprouts ‘Medio Enane de la Halle’ potted on to 9cm pots.
Red Cabbage ‘Red Acre’ – potted on to 9cm pot.
🫛 Pea ‘Twinkle’ in pots are now flowering.

Weekend 18 – 19 May

🍈 Mini Melon seeds germinated.
Parsnip ‘ Gladiator F1’ – seeds germinated.

Weekend 25 – 26 May

Sweet Pepper ‘Napia’ peppers forming.
Broad Beans ‘Elenora’ bean pods forming. Added supports and string.
🫛 Pea ‘Twinkle’ pea pods forming. Pigeons attacked some of the leaves, stem and pods.
Radish ‘French Breakfast’ – Harvested.