May Gardening Checklist
1. Plant tender annuals after last frost
Some old timers will wait to plant annuals or summer season vegetable plants until after the last full moon of May. Others swear by waiting until Memorial Day. Our average last frost in the Pittsburgh area is approximately May 15.
If you do plant early, watch the nighttime temperatures. If it is supposed to be below 40 degrees at night, cover your plants with an old sheet or towel to protect them from frost, just to be safe.
2. Pick up your hanging baskets + vegetable seedlings
Though we will have hanging baskets all summer long, and even plant fresh crops for summer and fall, you’ll get the best selection before Mother’s Day.
If you have your heart set on something particular, then we recommend shopping for hanging baskets before Mother’s Day. The same goes for your summer vegetable plants. Once we get close to Memorial Day, the selection goes down. However, if May slips by and you haven’t planted yet, June is still a perfectly good time to plant!
3. Repot your houseplants and begin to fertilize
Your houseplants are ready to put more energy into growing again.
Living a bit root bound through winter is not a bad thing for your houseplants, as you don’t want the roots sitting in a lot of extra soil and moisture when they aren’t in their most active growth phase. Spring is the ideal time to repot and give their roots room to grow again. If you don’t want to make the mess at home or want to dress your plant up with a new piece of pottery, stop by our Potting Station.
