Monty’s month
There is one job in May that is more important than all others combined – and that is to soak up the burgeoning, blossomy beauty with every cell and pore of your being. This done – and it sometimes takes all the lovely day long – there are a few more mundane horticultural matters to attend to. Perhaps the most pressing of these is getting on top of weeds. Perennial weeds need systematic digging out and in the flower borders nothing is more effective at limiting annual weeds than a thick mulch every spring. But in the vegetable plot the best weapon for controlling weeds is a sharp hoe.
The secret is to use the hoe little and often, preferably in the morning when the soil is dry. Slide the blade just under the surface to cut the weeds at the root while they are still young and hopefully not too rampant. Then leave them to wither in the sun before taking them to the compost heap and in due course they will return goodness to your plot.