May Gardening To Do List

Zone 1

Prune flowering fruit trees while in bloom; use cuttings indoors
Complete bare-root planting
Amend soil with humus (manure, ground bark, peat moss, leaf mold)
Set out summer bedding plants when they become available
Set out tomatoes, eggplants when soil warms and danger of frost is over
Mow lawns if grass and soil are dry enough
Set out plants of cold crops (broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts)
Plant peas, Swiss chard, beets, carrots, turnips
Feed spring-flowering shrubs after bloom
Apply shading to greenhouse

Zone 2

Set out cool-season annuals
Sow seeds of warm-season annuals outdoors
Set out summer-flowering bulbs
Plant balled-and-burlapped, container, and bare-root fruit trees
Apply dormant spray to fruit trees before buds swell
Plant permanent ground covers and cool-season lawns
Feed cool-season lawns and loosen thatch
Plant bare-root perennial vegetables
Plant seedlings of cool-weather vegetables
Sow seeds for cool-weather vegetables
Sow seeds for frost-tolerant perennials
Divide and replant summer- and fall-blooming perennials
Plant bare-root and container roses
Prune roses (when temperatures are above freezing)
Uncover roses for spring and apply dormant spray
Plant bare-root, balled-and-burlapped, and container trees, shrubs, and vines
Apply dormant spray to trees, shrubs, and vines
Plant summer-blooming shrubs and vines
Plant frost-tolerant trees
Plant needle-leafed evergreens

Zone 3

Set out cool-season annuals
Set out seedlings of warm-season annuals
Set out summer-flowering bulbs
Plant fall-blooming bulbs
Plant balled-and-burlapped, container, and bare-root fruit trees
Plant cool-season lawns and permanent ground covers
Feed and aerate cool-season lawns and loosen thatch
Plant bare-root perennial vegetables
Plant seedlings of cool-weather vegetables
Sow seeds for frost-tolerant perennials
Divide and replant summer- and fall-blooming perennials
Divide and replant spring-blooming perennials after bloom
Plant bare-root and container roses
Uncover roses for spring and apply dormant spray
Plant balled-and-burlapped, container, and bare-root trees, shrubs, and vines
Apply dormant spray to trees, shrubs, and vines before buds swell
Plant tender shrubs and vines
Plant summer-blooming shrubs and vines
Plant frost-tolerant trees
Plant needle-leafed evergreens

Zone 4

Set out cool-season annuals
Set out seedlings of warm-season annuals
Set out summer-flowering bulbs
Plant fall-blooming bulbs
Divide and replant crowded winter- and spring-blooming bulbs after leaves yellow
Plant balled-and-burlapped, container, and bare-root fruit trees
Apply dormant spray to fruit trees before buds swell
Spray apples, peaches, and pears that have been affected with canker problems
Plant permanent ground covers
Plant, feed, and aerate cool-season lawns and loosen thatch
Plant bare-root perennial vegetables
Plant seedlings of cool-weather vegetables
Set out herbs
Sow fast-growing warm-season vegetables
Sow seeds for frost-tolerant perennials
Divide and replant spring-blooming perennials after bloom
Plant container roses
Plant balled-and-burlapped, container, and bare-root trees, shrubs and vines
Apply dormant spray to shrubs and vines
Plant tender shrubs and vines
Plant summer-blooming shrubs and vines
Plant frost-tolerant trees
Plant needle-leafed evergreens

Zone 5

Set out cool-season annuals
Set out seedlings of warm-season annuals
Set out summer-flowering bulbs
Plant fall-blooming bulbs
Divide and replant crowded winter- and spring-blooming bulbs after leaves yellow
Plant balled-and-burlapped, container, and bare-root fruit trees
Apply dormant spray to fruit trees before buds swell
Spray apples, peaches, and pears that have been affected with canker problems
Plant permanent ground covers
Plant cool- and warm-season lawns
Plant bare-root perennial vegetables
Plant seedlings of cool-weather vegetables
Sow fast-growing warm-season vegetables
Sow seeds for frost-tolerant perennials
Sow seeds for tender perennials
Divide and replant spring-blooming perennials after bloom
Plant container roses
Plant balled-and-burlapped, container, and bare-root trees, shrubs, and vines
Apply dormant spray to shrubs and vines
Plant tender shrubs and vines
Plant summer-blooming shrubs and vines
Plant balled-and-burlapped trees
Plant trees in containers
Plant frost-tolerant trees
Plant needle-leafed evergreens

Zone 6

Set out seedlings of warm-season annuals
Set out summer-flowering bulbs
Plant fall-blooming bulbs
Divide and replant crowded winter- and spring-blooming bulbs after leaves yellow
Plant balled-and-burlapped, container, and bare-root fruit trees
Spray apples, peaches, and pears that have been affected with canker problems
Plant permanent ground covers
Plant and aerate lawns and loosen thatch
Plant bare-root perennial vegetables
Plant seedlings of cool-weather vegetables
Sow seeds for tender perennials
Divide and replant spring-blooming perennials after bloom
Plant container roses
Plant balled-and-burlapped, container, and bare-root trees, shrubs, and vines
Apply dormant spray to trees, shrubs, and vines
Plant tender shrubs and vines
Plant summer-blooming shrubs and vines
Plant frost-tolerant trees
Plant needle-leafed evergreens

The bugs have already been pretty bad this spring. Don't lose hope and reach for those toxic sprays, though! You can easily do more harm than good, especially in a home landscape where pets, kids and shoes track those poisons directly into your house, where they can build up. Organic and ecological techniques are just as important in the home landscape as they are on the farm. Meanwhile, enjoy the fullness and beauty of spring, before the heat of summer arrives in full force!

Zone 7

Compost Alert!

Mulch everywhere, from the veggie patch to the rose bushes. Only two cautions don't pile it up too deeply, 3 to 4 inches is plenty, and don't pile mulch up against the trunks of your trees.

Turn spring compost piles. Keep adding green material (spent pansies, finished mustard greens, etc.) to the compost heap.

Plant summer- and fall-flowering bulbs
Spray for peach leaf curl, peach leaf blight, and canker
Plant permanent ground covers
Plant or repair lawns
Plant ornamental grasses
Plant annuals for summer and fall color
Plant balled-and-burlapped or container fruit trees
Spray dormant fruit trees
Prune frost-sensitive fruit trees
Feed houseplants that are growing or blooming
Plant heat-loving perennials
Plant container roses
Plant balled-and-burlapped or container trees, shrubs, and vines
Prune spring-flowering or tender shrubs andvines during or just after bloom
Plant or transplant warm-season vegetableseedlings

Zone 8

Set out annuals
Plant summer-flowering bulbs
Plant balled-and-burlapped and container fruit trees
Prune frost-sensitive fruit trees
Spray for peach leaf curl, peach leaf blight, and canker
Feed houseplants that are growing or blooming
Plant or repair warm-season lawns
Plant ornamental grasses
Plant fall-blooming perennials
Prune tender deciduous shrubs and vines
Prune spring-flowering shrubs and vines during or just after bloom
Sow seeds for warm-season vegetables
Plant seedlings of warm-season vegetables

Zone 9

Plant for summer color
Plant fall-flowering bulbs
Feed and water cacti or succulents that are blooming or actively growing
Spray for peach leaf curl, peach leaf blight, and canker
Feed houseplants that are growing or blooming
Repair or plant lawns
Prune spring-flowering shrubs and vines during or just after bloom
Sow seeds for warm-season vegetables
Transplant warm-season vegetable seedlings

Zone 10

Plant annuals for summer color
Plant fall-blooming bulbs
Feed and water cacti and succulents that are growing or blooming
Spray for peach leaf curl, peach leaf blight, and canker
Feed houseplants that are growing or blooming
Plant fall-blooming and hardy perennials
Prune spring-flowering shrubs and vines during or just after bloom
Transplant warm-season vegetable seedlings

Zone 11

Install or repair drip irrigation systems
Plant beans, beets, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons
Bring out house plants to a shaded, wind-sheltered patio
Prune spring-blooming shrubs and vines after bloom
Feed and shape rose bushes
Make succession plantings of gladiolus
Deadhead annuals and perennials for prolonged bloom

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