If your garden is bursting into life but you are at a loss what to do first or how to plan for the coming summer then read on as these 10 tips will give help you plan your garden of fruit, veg and flowers.

10 Tips to help you stay on top of what needs doing in your garden this month:

1. Weeding is of course a task that needs to be tackled on a regular basis.  If you can’t manage a good long stint at it every week then little and often is better than not dealing with weeds until they are taking over your garden.
2. Have you checked your mower?  It’s best to have it serviced at the start of each spring by sharpening the blades and having it balanced.  It will then cut the blades of grass much more cleanly and give a better finish to your lawn.
3. Speaking of lawns, this month you can start feeding it if it’s lacking a bit of colour and vigour.  If you are troubled by moss or weeds in your lawn then you may want to try a combined feed and weed killer.
4. If your spring bulbs have died off it’s time to lift them, cut off dead heads and carefully divide them.  Either then replant them for next year or keep them somewhere dry and dark until the early winter. Don’t cut off the flowers until they have died right back though as it could result in them coming up blind next year (all leaves and no flowers).  
5. Make regular sowings and plantings of salad crops but protect against late frosts, delay planting out tender plants such as tomatoes, cucumbers etc. until early June.   
6. If you have invested in some young fruit trees this year then very carefully pinch off the blossom to prevent them from fruiting this year, it will make all their energy go into growing strongly instead. 
7. Keep your tomatoes and peppers in the greenhouse or conservatory until the frosts have passed but make sure you keep them watered daily now and start feeding them once a week with a high potash feed.
8. If the weather is good at the end of the month then cucumbers can be planted out but wait if the weather is cold and wet as it will kill your young plants.  Beans can also be planted out, it won’t be long before they are climbing up the supports you put out ready for them last month.
9. Hanging baskets can be prepared if you have somewhere to keep them out of danger of frosts.
10. May is a good time to plant Brussels sprouts and leeks for harvesting in early Winter.  Also, this is the best month for sowing main crop carrots but do protect them from carrot fly by covering with fleece.