Late May Garden To-Do List
It’s officially warm, the harvest baskets are filling up, and your cool-season crops are probably getting a little dramatic (looking at you, bolting lettuce and wilting kale). We’re in the garden nearly every day right now—planting, harvesting, checking for pests—and it’s one of the most satisfying times of the year. The work you did back in March? This is the reward.
Let’s keep it going:
🧺 Harvest Like a Pro
Cool Greens & Herbs: Lettuce, spinach, and cilantro may already be bolting, especially in sunny spots. Harvest what you can and enjoy it while it lasts!
Root Crops: Carrots, beets, and turnips should be sizing up. Pull the biggest ones and leave the rest to mature a bit longer.
Brassicas: Broccoli and cauliflower might still be producing, but don’t wait too long—they’ll go bitter in the heat. Slice the main broccoli crown off with a knife and the stem will produce a few more side shoots.
Peas: Sugar snaps are peaking. Pick daily to keep them coming.
Herbs: Snip oregano, thyme, chives, and mint freely. These perennials are lush right now. Not sure how to handle the abundance? Here are a few ideas.
Garlic Scapes: Look for those curly, Dr. Seuss-style stems and snip them before the bud opens. Use like a mild garlic in pestos, stir fries, or scrambled eggs.
🌿 Let Some Things Bloom (On Purpose)
Cilantro, dill, parsley—If you’ve got the space, let these go to flower. Their compound blooms are magnets for beneficial insects like hoverflies and parasitic wasps (yes, that’s a good thing).
🌱 Keep Planting Summer Crops
It’s not too late to plant all the summer favorites:
Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant
Beans, okra, cucumbers, melons, squash
Basil and other warm-season herbs
Zinnias, cosmos, marigolds, sunflowers, and more!
💡 Add a scoop of compost and a little organic starter fertilizer at planting time to get your new babies off to a strong start.
🫐 Protect Your Berries
Blueberries are ripening fast—and the birds know. You can get rolls of netting to drape over them, but we’re liking these mesh bags which have been easier to put on and more effective in keeping birds out. (Or maybe the birds are just too distracted chasing cicadas?)
🐛 Pest Watch: The Summer Insects Have Arrived
We’re seeing all of these in local gardens this week:
Aphids: Spray with water or insecticidal soap. Leave any ladybugs to work!
Cabbage worms: Hand-pick or spray with BT weekly.
Slugs, pillbugs, earwigs: Remove yellowing leaves, harvest often, and consider iron phosphate bait for slugs.
Squash bugs & cucumber beetles: Pick and drop into soapy water. Stay vigilant—they reproduce fast.
Flea beetles: Use row cover or diatomaceous earth on affected plants like eggplant and radish.
🔍 Reminder: Check under leaves and along stems regularly. Early action is the best control.
🌞 Water Wisely
Spring rains have been generous, but don’t assume your soil is saturated.
Check the soil with your hands before watering.
Pause irrigation for a few days after a big storm.
Water early in the day and deeply at the base of plants.
🛠 Bonus Tasks
Stake & support: Get stakes or trellises in place before tomatoes and cucumbers sprawl out of control. Some tall flowers might appreciate support too.
Weed control: One good session now can save you a lot of trouble later. It’s much easier to weed after a rain.
Journal: Log what’s growing, what’s bolting, and what you’ve planted. Future You will be grateful.
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