* Plant snap beans, sweet corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, cantaloupes and lima beans. The soil should be warm enough in May to get these sees started. If you start with purchased plants, by mid-May we will be past the last frost date. 

* Plant asparagus on hills. Asparagus is harvested as new sprouts emerge once it is established. For the first year after planting, refrain from harvesting. Then harvest for 2 weeks, the first year, 4 weeks the second year. After about 4 weeks all the sprouts will bolt and turn into ferny foliage for the rest of the season. 

* Remove the flowers from bulbs as they fade, but don’t remove foliage until it is yellow/brown and pulls up easily.  The foliage must store nutrients in the bulb for next year’s flowers. Restrain from tying bulb foliage into knots-it just calls attention to the dying foliage. If you are bothered by bulb foliage, consider companion planting with ornamental grasses, which begin growing as the bulb foliage dies back. Or plant annuals around bulbs to hide their dying foliage.

* Plant summer-flowering bulbs. Bulbs like caladiums, dahlias, gladiolus do not reliably overwinter in most of Delaware, so they must be dug and stored over the winter. Now is the time to replant and enjoy them during the growing season. To spread out the flowering period, make successive plantings of gladiolus.

* Move houseplants outdoors to protected, shady locations. Take your time moving houseplants outside. Even plants that tolerate full sun when acclimated may burn if placed in the sun right away. Find a shady spot to acclimate houseplants and gradually move them to sunnier locations. 

* There is no need to remulch every year. Often there is plenty of mulch present and all you need to do is break up that existing mulch with a hard rake to remove the hard, hydrophobic crust. If you do need a new layer of mulch consider using leaf mulch as it will decompose and improve the soil. Use mulch on beds to help conserve water and reduce weeds.

* Prune spring-flowering shrubs after bloom by removing 1/3 of the older branches at or near ground level. Red twig dogwood will have brighter red stems next winter and forsythia will bloom better when rejuvenated.

* Set your lawn mower at a cutting height of about 3 inches and keep your mower blade sharp.  Do not fertilize your lawn after mid-April. Most lawn fertilization should occur in the fall. Cut your lawn frequently enough to return clippings to the lawn. You won’t need to bag the clippings and you will be providing nitrogen to the soil as the clippings decompose.