May Day

 

May 2025

Pickaway to Garden

May Day

By Paul Hang

 

Mayday is a distress signal. May Day is a celebration. People cavort around the May Pole. May Day is May first. Another name for that day is Beltane. It is the halfway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. The month gets its name from Maia which is the name of the Greek goddess of the hunt and the Roman goddess of fertility. May marks the complete awakening of nature. May brings greenery, leaves, buds, flowers. The month symbolizes rebirth, renewal, fertility, hope. It seems every poet must write a verse about May. Samuel Scoville wrote “…honey-sweet May, when the birds come back, and the flowers come out, and the air is full of the sunshine scents and songs of the dawning year.”

 

There are many celebrations in the month across different cultures. Some of ours are: Cinco de Mayo; Mother’s Day; Memorial Day; Churches may celebrate Mother Mary, Catholics have their May processions. The first full moon in May, Vesak, is celebrated as the birth of Buddha. Observing the awakening of nature may inspire us to embrace our own inner renewal and personal growth.

 

Then, of course, there is the celebration that I have long advocated for, Ground Hug Day. We could have parades. Farmers would drive their tractors. Guys on their zero-turn mowers could zip around like Shriners on their little motorcycles, groups of mowers all in neat rows, ranks of rototillers; all could be decorated with crepe paper and ribbons. Little boys would not have to bathe on that day. Ranks of gardeners carrying various gardening tools, spades, loppers, rakes, pruning shears, and hori-hori knives could march in formation followed by ranks of master gardener volunteers busily paging through reams of OSU Extension bulletins. There would be speeches touting the virtues of tilth, soil texture and structure, loam, sand, silt, clay, organic matter and fertilizers.

 

I have never settled on a date for this dirty extravaganza. It could be the Tuesday after White Oak leaves reach the size of a squirrel’s ear? It could be a lot of fun. Mud wrestling, Night Crawler races, riding mower pulls. There could be contests for making the most mud pies in five minutes by different age groups, who can spade up a 10ft by 10ft. area the fastest and who has the loudest leaf blower? Prizes could be: plants, seeds or tools. When the day was over we could all go home and plant something in addition to our rear ends in a chair.

 

Finally, we will not be celebrating No Mow May or Kill the Lawn. Some of us may not be turning all of our lawns into a meadow. We may cut back on the size of our lawns by widening the areas of mulch around our trees, establishing a new flower or vegetable patch, planting a tree or shrub. We might want an area where kids can play and a way to get from one flower bed to the next.

 

The Master Gardener Volunteers are having their Plant Sale on May 17, 9am-1pm in the parking lot at the Pickaway County Library on N. Court St. Lots of plants, annuals and perennials are for sale. And, as always, the Helpline can be reached by calling the OSU Extension Office at 740-474-7534.

 

Things to do in the garden:

 

Everything! The month of May is a busy one. You can direct-seed corn, beans, potatoes, melons, cucumbers and squash. Those last three are usually planted in “hills” of groups of three or four plants. Place cheesecloth or row cover cloth over vines until they bloom. With any luck you will have prevented the cucumber beetles from invading the plants. This also works on the caterpillars of cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts.

 

You can set out tomato, pepper and eggplant plants if the soil is warm (60 degrees). There is still a chance of frost but each week the chances become less and less. Be prepared to cover those tender plants if frost threatens. Don't be tempted to over-fertilize tomatoes, extra nitrogen will delay ripening and produce more vine than fruit. Remember tomatoes can be planted deep with the top few branches of leaves above ground. Roots will form along the buried stem. If you stake your tomatoes put the stakes in before you plant. Consider pruning your tomatoes and peppers.

 

If you plan to put houseplants outside for the summer, a period of transitioning to the new environment will help assure their health and vigor. Fertilize and place in the shade. You can divide and move perennials now. As the soil warms (50 degrees) you can plant summer-flowering bulbs such as caladiums, cannas, dahlias, and gladioluses. You can begin spraying roses for black spot following the directions on the product.

 

Cut the seed pods off your lilacs (after the blooms fade), but do not prune the stems. If your lilacs are getting overgrown and leggy, cut a third of the old stems this year at the ground. Do this to a third next year and the final third the year after that. This way you will rejuvenate the bushes. Stake or cage floppy perennials like peonies. For bigger peonies, remove small buds near the larger ones. Ants on buds are not harmful.

 

Remember "June drop." It is a time when fruit trees rid themselves of excess fruit. This is a natural process. Then thin apples, peaches and other tree fruit (not cherries) to a fruit every six inches.  Pines can be pruned back. Cut just half of new “candle” growth, otherwise the branch will grow no further.

 

Mulch your beds after the soil has warmed. When you set out those tender plants protect against cutworms that can chew off new transplants. Use collars of aluminum foil, plastic, cardboard or other material to encircle the stem. The collars should extend into the soil an inch and above an inch or two. There are pesticides that can help control these pests (Google "cutworms extension”). I have also placed a toothpick in the ground right next to the plant stem with success.

 

This is a busy time for pollinators. When you spot a bug identify it before reaching for the spray. Fully 97% of the bugs in our gardens are beneficial or of no threat. Singular bugs are almost always beneficial predators. Crowds are often pests. Know your enemy! Consider starting a compost pile. Grass clippings, if not mulched and left on the lawn are a great “green” to add to the “brown.” Search (compost extension) for recipes.

Finally, it’s not how fast you mow but how high. Mow at least 3 inches high for a healthy lawn.