What to do in the Kitchen Garden in May

*The following information is designed for a temperate southern hemisphere garden  – In particular it is designed for a frost free Victorian garden.  This is meant as a general guide, indicating the type of things I plant, sow and harvest.  If you have had success with doing things differently then I would love to hear from you and I can update these pages accordingly.*

May, to me, is about watching garlic grow, seeing the broad beans shoot up, wondering whether the capsicums will ripen and eating bowl after bowl of pumpkin soup.

Seeds to Sow:

Broad Beans, Cabbage, Carrot (not all varieties), Chives, Garlic, Kohl Rabi, Lettuce, Mizuna, Mustard Greens, Oregano, Onions, Parsley, Peas, Potatoes, Radish, Rocket, Shallots, Silver Beet, Spinach, Spring Onions, Watercress

Seedlings to plant out:

Bok Choi, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Cavolo Nero, Cauliflower, Leeks, Lettuce, Pak Choi, Parsley, Silver Beet, Spinach, Watercress,

Garden maintenance to perform:

  • Order seed potatoes.
  • Prune Tamarillo, after harvesting all fruit.
  • Tidy up Autumn fruiting plants as they finish.

Seasonal Plants Harvesting now:

Beans, Capsicum, Citrus, Chillies, Eggplant, Feijoa, Galangal, Ginger, Pumpkins, Melons, Sweet Potatoes, Tamarillos, Turmeric, Tomatoes (although mine have usually finished)

The following plants should be able to be harvestable all year round if planted in succession throughout their growing season:

Broccoli, Beetroot, Carrots, Celery, Lettuce, Mint, Parlsey, Radish, Sage, Silver Beet, Spring Onion, Thyme

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2 Responses to What to do in the Kitchen Garden in May

  1. Linda S says:

    Ooooh, I was excited to stumble across your fantastic site as have just a couple of months ago established a small vegetable patch (had to battle my husband for the space over his stupid boring flowers) and as I am in Melbourne I’m finding it really useful to get some local advice. I’ve put in silver beet, spinach, broccoletti, kale, spring onions, snow peas and sugar peas (as they can grow on trellis up the wall so don’t really take up any space) and coriander. It’s all doing SO well and I can’t believe how quickly I’ve been able to pick a lovely fresh handful of greens. A small tomato plant just popped up in the garden so I transplanted it to the vegie patch too and it looks as though it’s thriving but I’m guessing there is no chance of tomatoes at this time of year in Melbourne? I don’t know whether just to pull it out or not? It’s so addictive this vegetable garden thing, I just wish I had a bit more space! I keep eyeing off the unused spaces in strangers yards as I walk past, wondering if they’d let me plant some random seedlings 🙂

    • Liz says:

      Great that it is going so well for you Linda. Regarding the tomato – yeah I’d pull it. I left one in as a experiment last winter and even though we had a comparatively mild one it didn’t make it. I think if they appear from August onwards I’d leave them but there’s just too much cold between then and now. Also you may want the space for something else.

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