With the lunar calendar of the month of May 2022 we will deepen all the sowing and transplanting works of the spring-summer garden that is coming to life. The month of April was benevolent everywhere from the point of view of weather conditions, with the return of rains in the drought areas and few late frosts.
This situation has prepared the best conditions for starting home gardens.
In May, therefore, we expect spring to explode definitively, especially in the second and third decade of the month.
May is in fact the ideal month for the transplants of almost all the crops of our interest and therefore to give life to the vegetable garden that will accompany us until the end of the summer and beyond.
So let’s see how to proceed with the work in the garden this month, paying attention to the moon phases.
The moon phases of May 2022
Here are the moon phases in May 2022, after the last new moon on April 30th.
- The month of May opens with a crescent moon phase until day 15, with the first quarter of the lunar cycle scheduled for day 9.
- The full moon is scheduled for day 16 and begins the waning (missing) phase of the lunar cycle.
- The last quarter is marked for day 22
- The month of May closes with the new moon on the 30th, which will start a new crescent phase
In summary then we will have:
- crescent moon phase from 30/04 to 15 May
- waning moon phase from 16 to 29 May
- new phase of the waxing moon starting on May 30th
The solar calendar of May 2022
The month of May is characterized by very long days and therefore by an increase in brightness. This greatly accelerates the vegetative growth of plants, trees and vegetables.
On May 1st, the sunrise will be at 6.07 am, while the sunset will take place at 08.08 pm, with a long day of 14 hours and 1 minute.
At the end of the month, on the 31st, the sun will rise at 5.38 and set at 20.38, thus giving 15 hours of light. These times are relative to the latitudes of the city of Rome.
We will therefore have a lot of time to devote to the cultivation of our organic garden, even if of course the available energies will be carefully balanced. The advice is to always prefer work in the cool hours of the day. The best times are usually from dawn until 11 in the morning and after 17 in the afternoon. It is never advisable to act on the plants in the central hours.
May, the month of transplants
Freshly planted tomatoes
In recent months we have focused our attention on sowing operations. In the month of May, however, it is appropriate to talk about transplants and the timing of maturation.
Let’s take a small example with the cultivation of tomatoes. If we started sowing on May 1st, at least 35-40 days should pass before reaching the planting in the ground. So we would transplant in the second half of June. Considering that a tomato plant, depending on the variety, needs at least 60-75 days of biological cycle to produce, it goes without saying that to harvest the first fruits we should wait for the second half of the month of august. In short, we would be at the limit with the times and we would risk spending a summer without tomatoes. Consequently, we recommend in this period to buy the seedlings ready for transplanting, possibly by turning to a nursery that produces local organic varieties.
Instead, by transplanting the young seedlings throughout the month of May, already in July Julywe would have tomatoes on the table.
This is especially true for crops with small seeds and a longer emergency time, above all solanaceous crops. For cultivars such as zuchinis or green beansinstead, start from the seed using a seedbed does not lengthen the time too much. In fact, it only takes 10-15 days to have seedlings ready for transplanting.
Now let’s see how to proceed with the different transplants and the different sowings following the phases of lunar cycle.
Transplanting and sowing in the growing moon
The main phase of the growing moon this month, as mentioned, runs from 1 to 15 May.
Different vegetables and herbs can be transplanted in this period, taking advantage of the lunar brightness. In particular: tomatoes, peppers, chili Peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, melons, watermelon, salad, puntarella, basil, parsley, salvia officinalis, peppermint, thyme, lemon balm, marjoram, Origan, rosemary.
With direct sowing, however, you can plant the seeds: zuchinis, green beans, pumpkin, corn, sunflowers, corn, beans.
Transplanting and sowing on a waning moon
Onions in the seedbed
The waning phase of the lunar cycle in the month of May falls in the central part of the month, from 16 to 29 May.
In this phase, a condition of greater humidity is created in the soil. Added to this is that the lunar brightness is lower. For these reasons, the lunar influence shifts towards the root system.
So, we will transplant onions And leeks. We will also bury the rhizomes or large seeds of turmeric, ginger, potatoes. Finally, we will broadcast: radishes, carrots, red beets.
The works of the period
In the home garden, the main work to be carried out in May is the preparation of the irrigation system. The crops that are planted in this period all have a certain water need. For this reason it is essential to have a source of water available. Unfortunately, the climate changes underway put us in front of increasingly scarce rainfall, therefore we must intervene artificially, there is not much choice.
Of course, before proceeding with the irrigation system it is necessary to have properly prepared the ground in the previous period.
To help us save watera consolidated agronomic technique is that of mulch, possibly natural. This will also help us keep weeds under control.
Other works of the period, very dependent on the cycle in which your plants are found, are the structural ones. We are talking about those works aimed at creating networks and supports. This is because some crops, such as green beans, need posts and nets to be able to climb. These structures must be set up quickly, as they need the plant already one week after transplanting. Adequate supports you can find them here.
For crops such as peppers or aubergines, however, we have more time to put support posts. This is because cultivars have slower initial growth cycles. Suitable bamboo poles found here.
Biological defense from harmful insects and diseases
Harmful insects
The month of May, with constantly rising temperatures, is the period in which insects are useful (such as ladybugs), which are harmful, have greater vitality. We are in this period in the midst of the first or second biological cycles of parasites such as: absoluta tomato suit, aphids, bedbugs, cabbage, altica, snails, cochineal, pine processionary, red spider, white fly, Colorado potato beetle, oziorrinco, fruit fly, olive fly, box borer.
For the biological defense against these parasites it is necessary to act in time and not be caught unprepared. Natural macerates in this sense give us a big hand. But don’t wait until the last minute to prepare them. We are talking about domestic preparations such as: the macerated nettleL’infusion of garlicthe fern maceratethe macerated tomato leaves and feminelle.
Where the preventive and repellent action of natural macerates is insufficient, more incisive organic products come to our aid. Among these we point out the Soft soap or Marseille (which found here), the bacillus thuringiensis (in particular kurstaki variety) and theazadirachtini.e. the active ingredient of neem oil (which you find here).
They are organic products easily available on the web and which should always be available to act promptly.
Illnesses
Another problem to be faced in this period is that of cryptogamic diseases. These manifest themselves with the rise in temperature, the increase in humidity and the changes due to temperature variations between day and night or sudden precipitation.
The most problematic diseases from this point of view are the downy mildew of tomato And powdery mildew.
These are very complex diseases and not easy to solve, therefore we advise you to deepen the subject in the related posts. Here we remind you that there are valid biological remedies to prevent the onset and therefore the damage of this plant disease. Among these we point out the use of sodium bicarbonate he was born in macerate (decoction) of horsetail (easy to prepare at home, following our instructions).
Start a new Thread