May is a gardener’s dream for South Jerseyans. We’re planting. We’re tending. We’re harvesting. Consult this checklist to stay on top of your garden chores this month. 

Check your soil regularly to make sure you’re watering thoroughly 

Check on your tomatoes – look for blight, and if you see it on the leaves, cut those leaves off, rinsing your scissors between each cut 

WEED. WEED. WEED. (and then weed some more) 

PLANT. PLANT. PLANT. We’re in the heart of our planting, so here are some crops you can plant now: Beans, corn, cucumber, melons, squash, onions, pepper, potato, tomato

If you planted seeds in March to grow inside, now is the time to transfer them into your beds (if you haven’t already) 

When you plant your seedlings in the bed, remember to add a biostimulant to help your soil health 

For other plants, you’ll be harvesting at some point this month so keep an eye out: beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, kale, lettuce, spinach, peas, radish 

Have you tried succession planting? It’s when you plant more seeds of some foods every couple weeks to spread your harvest across the season. So instead of having too much spinach at once, you’ll have spinach throughout the season. Try it out by planting some more seeds in the first two weeks of May

Fertilize. When you’re filling your beds with new seeds or seedlings, add some fertilizer to your soil

At the end of the month, if you want seeds to use next year, leave your plants be and they’ll eventually bolt, produce flowers and seeds. Cilantro is a great one for this strategy!