May is the month the valley gets going. The frosts should be behind us (fingers crossed), the soil is warming up, and if you stand still long enough in Todmorden you can practically hear things growing. It’s a brilliant time to get your hands in the earth — whether you’ve got a window box, an allotment, or just a spare bit of wall.

Here’s what we’d be sowing right now (Middle of May)

Beans and courgettes

French beans, runner beans and courgettes can all go outside now — or start them on a warm windowsill and plant out in a week or two. They’re generous plants. Give them a bit of love early on and they’ll give you far more than you can eat by August.

Salad leaves

One of the joys of May is that salad leaves are so fast. Sow a short row of mixed leaves, rocket or spinach directly into the ground and you can be eating them in three or four weeks. Sow a little, eat it, sow a little more. Keep it going all summer.

Beetroot and carrots

Both carrots and beetroot do brilliantly sown direct into the soil now — no need to start them indoors. Beetroot in particular is very forgiving. Great with children too, if you’re growing with kids, because the germination is quick and satisfying.

Herbs

Basil wants to be started inside still — it sulks in the cold — but coriander, dill and parsley are all happy going outside now. Herbs in a pot by the door are one of the most useful things you can grow. Start small if you’re new to this.

Pumpkins and squash

If you want squash for autumn, now’s the time to start them on a sunny windowsill and plant out once the risk of frost has fully passed — usually late May into early June up here in the valley. They need space and they like a good feed, but the reward come harvest time is hard to beat.

A note on the Calder Valley

We’re a bit higher and wetter than the national averages suggest, so don’t rush it. If the weather feels uncertain, trust your instincts and give it another week. This gives general guidance, but your patch knows best.

And if you’re not sure where to start, come and find us. We grow together.