May in the Garden

• Harvest spring crops daily to keep them producing for as long as possible.
• Plant heat-tolerant tomatoes. 'Sweet 100' is a good choice.
• Plant eggplant, peppers, cucumbers, squash, okra, beans, sweet potatoes, melons, and southern peas this month.
• Give new plantings plenty of water.
• Continue planting daisies, asters, coreopsis, marigolds, and sunflowers—they nourish the beneficial insects, which will help keep pests in check.
• Check your drip irrigation system—you'll need it soon.

As the weather warms:

• Plant last runs of lettuce, choosing heat-tolerant varieties that are slow to go to seed.
• Start new plantings of melons, squash, dried beans, okra, and southern peas that thrive in heat.
• Use drip irrigation to provide a constant supply of moisture to beds
• Mulch with organic materials: dried grass clippings, pine needles, or leaves.