Greens, beans and tulip scenes

Which veges can you plant in May?

Brassica and silverbeet seedlings can go in everywhere, plus celery, kale, lettuces and spinach up north. You can sow trays or plant seedlings of miner’s lettuce, rocket, Asian greens, red-leafed and cos lettuce, and winter mesclun mixes too.

In warmer parts of the country you can sow carrots, radishes, beetroot, swedes and turnips direct. In colder places where soil is sodden or frozen, hold off until spring or try pots where the drainage is better and the soil temperature a little higher (plus you can move pots around to take advantage of sheltered spots by your house or inside a tunnelhouse).

Wherever you are, you can sow peas and broad beans which will germinate in quite cold soil (although in very cold places start them in trays).

Give new roses a head start

If a rose is not planted correctly, it will be miserable all of its life. Choosing the right spot to plant a rose is hugely important. Don’t put it where another rose has been recently taken out unless you replace the soil.

If the rose will need a trellis or other support, plan this in advance – but allow yourself room to move as it is awkward to plant a rose under a tripod or obelisk if it is fixed in place.

Bare-rooted roses must be pruned to approximately 12cm from ground level and just above a strong, outward-facing bud. This

encourages new shoots to grow from the base rather than the top, which results in leggy, awkward plants.

Choose a spot that gets sun for at least half the day. Dig a hole deep enough for the bud union (where the branches meet at the base of the plant) to be well covered with soil. Add goodquality potting mix. Place the rose in the hole so that its roots are spread out comfortably. Fill in the hole with damp soil.

Container-grown roses can be treated in much the same way except the rose may already have been pruned.

Plant tulips

If you live in a warmer area of the country, ideally you should chill your tulips for six weeks prior to planting so that the bud can complete its development and to ensure the plants have nice, long stems. If you haven’t done this already, delay planting until early June.

Put the bulbs in the fridge in a paper bag and keep them away from fruit, such as apples and bananas that produce the ripening gas ethylene, which can prevent flower and root formation.

Plant tulips around 20cm deep in freedraining soil in full sun. Work the soil to at least 35cm to allow space for root development. If you have a heavy clay soil, dig a hole and fill it with grit and/or specialised bulb mix, or plant tulips in pots. Feed with bulb fertiliser once flowering.

PIXABAY In warmest and northern areas, plant tulips in May (after six weeks in the fridge) for flowers in September and October. Lower North Island and warmest South Island: plant in May for flowers in October. Coolest areas of North and South Islands: plant in May for flowers from mid-October.

LYNDA HALLINAN/STUFF The ‘‘Medley’’ mix of spinach (from Kings Seeds) is designed for baby leaf production, but you can let them grow into full-sized plants. Sow every fortnight for a constant supply of greens.

123RF Don’t let newly planted roses dry out.