May in the Desert Garden

May is the ramp into desert summer — planting slows, watering ramps up, and the focus shifts to keeping what you have healthy and shaded before triple digits settle in.

What To Do in May

Grass

• Bermuda is thriving — mow weekly and water deeply and less often to encourage deep roots.
• Fertilize monthly through the growing season.

Trees & Shrubs

• Slow down on planting; anything going in now needs extra water and afternoon shade to survive summer.
• Refresh mulch to 2 to 3 inches everywhere.
• Prune palms after they finish flowering, and remove dead fronds before monsoon winds arrive.

Flowers

• Stick to heat-lovers: vinca, portulaca, lantana, and desert wildflowers.
• Deep-water flower beds in the early morning.

Vegetables

• Harvest tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and beans before the worst heat shuts them down.
• Plant true heat crops: okra, black-eyed peas, melons, and sweet potatoes.
• Add 30 to 50 percent shade cloth over vegetables to extend the season.

Don’t Make These Garden Mistakes in May

1. Don’t water in the heat of the day — water early morning to cut evaporation and avoid scorching roots.
2. Don’t plant tender new ornamentals now unless you can babysit them through summer.
3. Don’t leave tomatoes in full afternoon sun — fruit sunburns above 100 degrees.
4. Don’t forget to check emitters and sprinklers; a clogged line means dead plants fast in May.
5. Don’t over-prune shade trees before summer — the canopy protects trunks and soil from sunburn.