May in the Garden

Happy May! 🌼
The soil is soft, the sun is warm, and the garden is buzzing with new life. At Sweet Farm, we’re thrilled to be in the heart of planting season, and we’re so grateful to be growing alongside such a passionate community of gardeners, food-lovers, and earth stewards.

Whether you’re sowing your first seeds or finally getting those tomato plants in the ground, May is a magical month to dig in. Here's what’s happening around the farm and what you can do in your own garden this month.

USDA Growing Zones Have Changed

That's right, in another nod to the effects climate change, the USDA updated growing zones in 2023. Check your new growing zone here! You may already be long past the danger of frost in your area!

Here in the Finger Lakes, our last frost date has passed and we are getting all our warm weather crops in the ground and waiting impatiently for tomato season. If you are still waiting until your last frost date to get your garden going, don't! Get outside and get lettuces, beans, onion sets, sweet peas, shell peas, spinach, or root veggies planted and beat the rush! Then once the danger of frost has passed, you can get all your warm weather crops in the ground, ex.: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, zinnias, basil, marigolds, squash, cucumbers, watermelons, cosmos. That way you can spread out the work over multiple weekends and not overwhelm yourself. Gardening should be fun and relaxing, not stressful!

Know what to look for if you’re hitting the garden center:

If you didn't have time or desire to start seeds earlier in the season, you will likely be heading to your local garden center or big box store for plant starts or seedlings to fill out your garden beds. Here are some things to look for when buying veggie and herb plants for your garden:

Taller plants aren't always better! If the plants have long stems, it can mean they are "leggy," or stressed and stretching for sun
Check the roots to make sure they are not crowded or "root-bound"
Avoid plants that are already in bloom
Look for varieties that say "heirloom" instead of "F1" or "Hybrid" - they will have better flavor and nutrition, and you can save their seeds to plant next year! (Learn more about why we grow heirloom)
If you aren't sure which plants look the healthiest, ask staff or other shoppers for help! People love talking about gardening!
Check out more in-depth information on selecting plant starts at this link

Here's what we are planting in the ground outdoors in May, after the danger of frost has passed:

Veggies: beans (direct sown), tomatoes (transplants we started in the greenhouse), peppers (transplants), eggplant (transplants), zucchini (transplants), cucumbers (transplants), winter squashes and gourds (transplants and direct sown), corn (direct sown), melons (transplants), pumpkins (direct sown), onions (sets)

Flowers: dahlias (transplants & seeds), asters (transplants), gomphrena (transplants), amaranth (transplants), calendula (transplants & seeds), celosia (transplants), cosmos (transplants and direct sown), foxglove (transplants), marigolds (transplants), nasturtium (transplant), scabiosa (transplants), snapdragons (transplants), strawflower (transplants), sunflowers (direct sown), zinnias (transplants)

Herbs: cilantro (transplants), dill (transplants), basil (transplants), chamomile (transplants), borage (transplants)

Berries: strawberries (bare roots), blueberries, gooseberries, currants, elderberries, golden raspberries

Local to the Finger Lakes of New York?

We've got your garden covered! Check out our annual sale of plant starts and seedlings for your garden in our final weekend! Proceeds help care for our 150 rescued animals and feed our community. Book a tour and make it a beautiful day on the lakeside!

What: Sweet Farm’s Annual Plant Sale Fundraiser

When: May 17 & 18, 10am - 4pm or until sold out!

Where: Sweet Farm, 211 Hall Road, Himrod, NY 14842 - across from our main barn

Heirloom vegetables of all types
A dazzling variety of annual and perennial flowers
Rare and unique herbs, and varieties of familiar herbs you haven't seen before!

BEGINNING GARDENING SPOTLIGHT: Garden Jars!

No more over-watering, under-watering, soil or pests to worry about. Just nutritious herbs grown at home all year round.

Includes everything you need to grow fresh herbs; just add water. Setup takes less than 5 minutes. Easy setup and low maintenance; yields 6+ months of fresh herbs
Designed to be replanted again and again. Reusable or recyclable at end of use.

check them out

Full Swing