OSU Gardening Calendar

May

Planning

Prepare and prime irrigation system for summer.
Use a soil thermometer to help you know when to plant vegetables. Wait until the soil is consistently above 70°F to plant tomatoes, squash, melons, peppers and eggplant.
Place pheromone traps in apple trees to detect presence of codling moth. Plan a control program of sprays, baits, or predators when moths are found.

Maintenance and Clean Up

If needed, fertilize rhododendrons and azaleas with acid-type fertilizer. If established and healthy, their nutrient needs should be minimal. Remove spent blossoms.
When selecting new roses, choose plants labeled for resistance to diseases. Fertilize roses and control rose diseases such as mildew with a registered fungicide.

Planting/Propagation

Plant dahlias, gladioli, and tuberous begonias in mid-May.
Plant chrysanthemums for fall color.
Plant these vegetables (dates vary locally; check with local gardeners):
- Oregon coast: snap beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cantaloupes, pickling cucumbers, dill, kale, parsnips, peppers, pumpkins, summer and winter squash, sweet corn, and tomatoes.
- Western Oregon: mid-May, transplant tomato and pepper seedlings.
- Western valleys, Portland, Roseburg, Medford: snap and lima beans, Brussels sprouts, cantaloupes, slicing and pickling cucumbers, dill, eggplant, kale, peppers, pumpkins, summer and winter squash, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, and watermelon.
- Lower elevations, eastern Oregon (dates vary widely): snap and lima beans, beets, celery, sweet corn, slicing and pickling cucumbers, dill, kale, kohlrabi, onions, parsley, parsnips, peppers, white potatoes, pumpkins, summer and winter squash, and tomatoes.
- Central Oregon and higher elevations of Eastern Oregon: Direct seed carrots, corn (late May), chard, kohlrabi, and potatoes. Transplant Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, cucumbers (late May), leeks, or peppers.
- Columbia and Snake River valleys, Ontario: cantaloupes, dill, eggplant, kale, okra, peppers, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and watermelon.

Pest Monitoring and Management

If an unknown plant problem occurs, contact your local Master Gardener hotline or plant clinic, for identification and future management options.
Manage weeds while they are small and actively growing with light cultivation or herbicides. Once the weed has gone to bud, herbicides are less effective.
Trap moles and gophers as new mounds appear.
Leafrolling worms may affect apples and blueberries. Prune off and destroy affected leaves.
Monitor aphids on strawberries and ornamentals. If present, control options include washing off with water, hand removal, or using registered insecticides labeled for the problem plant. Read and follow all label directions prior to using insecticides. Promoting natural enemies (predators and parasitoids that eat or kill insects) is a longer-term solution for insect control in gardens.
Spittle bugs may appear on ornamental plants as foam on stems. In most cases, they don't require management. If desired, wash off with water or use insecticidal soap as a contact spray. Read and follow label directions when using insecticides, including insecticidal soap.
Control cabbage worms in cabbage and cauliflower, 12-spotted cucumber beetle in beans and lettuce, maggot in radishes. Control can involve hand removal, placing barrier screen over newly planted rows, or spraying or dusting with registered pesticides, labeled for use on the problem plant. Read and follow label directions when using insecticides.
Tiny holes in foliage and shiny, black beetles on tomato, beets, radishes, and potato indicate flea beetle attack. Treat with Neem, Bt-s, or use nematodes for larvae. Read and follow label directions when using insecticides.
Prevent root maggots when planting cole crops (cabbage, broccoli, collards and kale), by covering with row covers or screens, or by applying appropriate insecticides.
Monitor rhododendrons, azaleas, primroses and other broadleaf ornamentals for adult root weevils. Look for fresh evidence of feeding (notching at leaf edges). Try sticky trap products on plant trunks to trap adult weevils. Protect against damaging the bark by applying the sticky material on a 4-inch wide band of poly sheeting or burlap wrapped around the trunk. Mark plants now and manage with beneficial nematodes when soil temperatures are above 55°F. If root weevils are a consistent problem, consider removing plants and choosing resistant varieties (See WSU Extension Publication EB0970E for list of rhododendrons exhibiting resistance to adult root weevil feeding)
Control slugs with bait or traps and by removing or mowing vegetation near garden plots.

Download a PDF of the May Calendar for easy printing.

Updated September 10, 2009.

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OSU Gardening Calendar

May