Anyone who has tinkered around a garden knows that May is a pretty busy month. This is the month when beans, beets, cabbage, carrots, corn, cucumbers, eggplants, and herbs can be planted at any time. In the second half of this month, gardeners can also plant tomatoes, summer squash, pumpkins, melons, and peppers.

It’s also the month when strawberries begin to make their first appearance and will likely be eaten by birds if they aren’t protected with netting. Needless to say, the average gardener will have plenty of things to do during this month.

May is also a good month for people to start gardening as a hobby. Warm temperatures make the soil perfect for the fast germination of plants and will be easier for the average person to work with. We want everyone to discover gardening as a new hobby, so we would like to present six May holidays that will encourage people to put their hands into the soil and bring forth life. Let’s check them out and have some gardening fun!

National Garden Meditation Day (May 3rd)

Meditating in a garden is a great way to not only receive peace of mind but also to learn about some of the flowers, fruits, and vegetables that you might want to plant. We feel a good trip to the local botanical garden will yield about 100 different gardening ideas that a person could use. And that’s why National Garden Meditation Day has earned its way onto our list.

Greenery Day (May 4th)

Greenery Day is a holiday that’s observed in Japan. Also known as Midori no Hi, this holiday encourages people to commune with nature and to be thankful for the blessings they’ve received. No matter where you live in the world, you can observe this holiday and enjoy the splendor of nature. It doesn’t matter if that nature is in your garden or out in the world.

World Naked Gardening Day (First Saturday in May)

Okay, we admit that this holiday might not be for everyone. After all, when people think of gardens, they think of insects such as bees, flies, and mosquitoes, and the thought of having your naked butt out around these insects isn’t a pleasant thought. However, for some people, gardening in the nude might be something that makes them feel more connected to the natural world. It might even be liberating. We guess that you’ll never know until you try it out for yourself. Just make sure that you have a good privacy fence. We’re sure your neighbors would appreciate not seeing you hunched over naked in your garden tending to tomatoes.

National Love a Tree Day (May 16th)

Everyone knows how important trees are to human civilization. They provide timber, fuel, fruits, and nuts and offer a habitat for a variety of different animals. They even produce air for us.

We personally love to plant dwarf fruit trees. They grow quickly, produce fruit quickly, and just look cool. Plus, planting a tree can be a good first step for people toying with the idea of planting a garden. Start with a tree and then work from there. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?

National Pick Strawberries Day (May 20th)

This holiday encourages people to pick the strawberries that they had planted earlier in the year. Although in our experience, most strawberries are actually harvested in June, we suppose that if they’re put in the ground at the right time, they could yield a harvest around this time. However, we feel that this holiday is a good one not only for picking strawberries but also for checking on strawberry plants that have already been planted.

National Water a Flower Day (May 30th)

Although there are many different types of flowers that are already blooming, including peonies, irises, lilacs, magnolias, and freesias, this is also a good day for people to start their flower garden. A lot of different flowers can be planted in May, including roses, nepeta, lavender, clematis, and heuchera.

Well, faithful readers, this concludes our effort to get more people into the garden by introducing them to some great gardening holidays. We hope that this article has been informative, but more importantly, we hope that it encourages people to get involved with horticulture.