How to Grow Spring Bulbs in the Bay

My first attempt last year at growing spring bulbs in a pot failed miserably. I purchased ten tulip bulbs from the hardware store, dutifully followed instructions (or so I thought), and they all withered and died almost as soon as they’d sprouted.

What did I do wrong? I had a few theories and tried to correct my mistakes in my next attempt. I’m happy to report that by and large, this year’s bulbs have been a success! So I must have learned something.

Growing fall-planted, spring-flowering bulbs requires a bit of advance planning and, if you live in the Bay Area or a similar mild climate, a somewhat non-traditional approach. But the way they wake up your garden in early spring with color and life makes them well worth the effort!

Plan-ting ahead

If you’re reading this post at the time of publication, you may be admiring spring-blooming bulbs all over town and coveting them for your garden. While it’s too late to plant them for this spring, you can start planning ahead. Next year will be your year for spring bulbs!

Though many bulbs can be planted in the fall, I chose the ever-popular tulips and daffodils. They may be Easter clichés, but they are genuinely two of my favorite flowers, and there are so many varieties to choose from that they don’t have to be basic! 

I picked La Belle Epoque tulips and Bell Song daffodils which both possess the warm, peachy, unusual tones I gravitate towards. Place your orders in the summertime for fall delivery, or visit your local garden center in early fall to select your bulbs.

The basic idea behind fall-planted, spring-blooming bulbs is pretty self-explanatory: you plant the bulbs in the fall when the soil is still warm, leave them underground over the winter, and watch them sprout and bloom in the spring. 

While this makes perfect sense for gardeners working in the ground in four-season climates, those of us gardening in containers in a mild climate must take a different approach.

Bulbs need winter

We know that tulips and daffodils like at least six weeks of being buried in the cold ground before emerging with the longer days of spring. Originating in the mountains of central Asia, they use this period to develop strong roots. Strong roots equals stronger, taller, healthier plants.

Gardeners living in hot zones like Florida and Southern California have developed a hack for cultivating tulips: refrigerate them! Placing the bulbs in the fridge for six weeks tricks them into thinking it’s winter, ensuring blooms once you pop them in the soil.

However, this tactic has one weakness: while the bulbs are chilling in the fridge, they cannot develop roots. So although they’ve been exposed to cold temperatures and have thus been prompted to bloom, they may develop short stems with flowers just a few inches above the ground.

Bay Area bulbs: To chill or not to chill?

Since we don’t get hard frosts in the Bay Area, I’ve been advised to refrigerate my bulbs. 

The first, ill-fated time I did this, I kept them in a paper bag on a random shelf. When I cleaned out the pot after all the tulips died, I found brown, mushy bulbs. It turns out that fruits and vegetables in the fridge release ethylene gas, making your bulbs susceptible to rotting.

To avoid this scenario the second time around, I stored the bulbs on their own in the sanitized crisper drawer of the fridge in breathable cloth bags and forbade any produce from invading their slumber. I chilled them for six weeks from October 29th through December 10th.

On December 10th, I planted them up (more on this process below) and in late January, they began to emerge. The tulips have been magnificent, blooming in early March. The daffodils have been hit or miss; a few of them mysteriously withered, but the rest have opened adorable fragrant flowers.

I expected short, stubby stems from the refrigeration method but instead the tulips and daffodils mostly have long, elegant necks, especially the ones I planted as companions in deeper pots.

While I’m thrilled my bulbs were more successful this year, I do wonder if it was absolutely necessary to chill them. This winter has been colder than recent years, but it’s not actually out of the ordinary for Oakland. Could it be that “Bay Area winter” is winter enough for bulbs? The daffodils I see appearing around the neighborhood every year would suggest so.

Next year, I’ll plant a couple bulbs directly into pots outdoors to see how they perform. It would be great if I didn’t have to requisition our crisper drawer all winter!

Container considerations

Whether you refrigerate or not, you will at some point need to plant your bulbs in a pot. I’ve learned a lot from watching Monty Don do this every year.

Tulips and daffodils love drainage and despise sogginess. They don’t need much feeding as the bulbs contain their own nutrients. This year I used a combination of two parts cactus mix and one part compost for my bulb pots. I also added a few extra bulbs to larger planters containing drainage-loving plants, like my olive tree. 

Apparently, you can really pack them into containers. I’ve seen Monty plant up multiple layers of bulbs in one container, and even top them off with annuals for non-stop color. I may try that next year, but this year I limited myself to one layer of bulbs with alternating tulips and daffodils about an inch apart and halfway between the bottom and top of the pots. Remember: pointy side up!

I watered them in after planting and then pretty much left them alone, watering again only when the soil was completely dry. Tulips and daffodils prefer full sun, so position your pots in a bright location. For me this means the ledge of my railing. Don’t let them sit in any water and move them to a sheltered location if you get a lot of rain.

Main takeaway: MORE bulbs!

I have only one regret about my bulbs this year: not planting more of them! The varieties I planted have swept me off my feet this spring, and I can envision the impact they would make in larger quantities. Next year I will order thrice as many and squeeze them in!

Once all the tulip and daffodil blooms are spent, I’ll swap in the late spring and summer annuals I’ve sown indoors. Until then, I’ll be relishing their lush leaves and delicate petals as springtime unfurls.