Gardening in May in the Bay

Mid-May is a great time to stand back and admire the progress our gardens have made since the start of spring, even if it hasn’t felt like spring. The month kicked off with a week of rain and highs in the 50s! On my balcony and around the region, many plants are behind schedule due to the cold.

But nevertheless, we are leaps and bounds ahead of where we started in early 2023! Remember the flower seeds I sowed back in February? In this post, we’ll catch up with them, plus other planties that have bloomed, grown, and sprouted over the past few weeks.

Before we dive in, a courtesy reminder that it is Mother’s Day! An awesome gardener to this day, my mom skillfully maintained the garden of my childhood home. I still remember the taste of ripe raspberries plucked from the bush and the scent of snapdragons when I pinched their blossoms open and closed. When I finally showed an interest in gardening well into adulthood, she showed me how to choose plants and create beautiful containers. Thanks, mom!

Seedlings that grew

The marigolds, nasturtiums, and cosmos I sowed in February are all grown up! Almost all occupy their destined pots for the season. The nasturtiums have begun blooming, the marigolds are forming buds, and the cosmos are getting quite tall!

My general rules for growing plants from seed worked: 

• Feed regularly once true leaves appear
• Pot up once several sets of true leaves have formed and roots are sticking out the bottom (be patient!)
• Harden them off gradually before planting them outside

More seeds I started

After a failed first attempt at getting pepper seeds to germinate, I tried a new tactic and so far, so good! My cayenne pepper seedlings are now about an inch tall and forming true leaves.

What did I do differently? I consulted howtogrowhotpeppers.com and followed the “bag method.” After about a week of fussing over a ziploc bag containing a wet coffee filter full of pepper seeds (including saving them from the trash one night; my husband understandably had no idea what they were), they sprouted!

These peppers got a late start so we shall see if they ripen before winter. Our long Bay Area growing season and summery fall should work in my favor!

I also started and just potted up chamomile and basil. They’re doing well, except for recently enduring an attack by my cat, Dawn the seedling chomper. My back was turned for a matter of seconds and she took a bite out of every single one!

Flowers that bloomed

Pink was April’s color. My rose, Duchesse de Brabant, gave us a wonderful first flush of soft pink blooms. Combined with the diascia I bought for the railing planters and my trusty lemon geranium, I created a cute little bouquet!

Additionally, the Lewisia and thyme have been putting on a long-lasting show, and I’m happy to see buds on my lavender and snapdragon. There’s really no better feeling than spotting a bud!

Planter combinations I made

May is a great moment to reassess all those plans you made in January. Impulse buys at the nursery, failed experiments, and nature’s timing conspire to require pivoting. This spring I’ve wound up with two unforeseen planter combinations that I’m particularly happy with:

For sun and free-draining soil: Lemon geranium thriller, sage filler, and thyme spiller (obviously I need a cuter broom).

For part-shade and richer soil: “Chantilly pink” Snapdragon thriller, fuchsia filler, and “Tip Top Alaska Salmon” nasturtium spiller.

Summer is around the corner

Never stop looking ahead! Here’s what’s on my to-do list for the rest of May and into June:

• Plant a medium-sized pot for fall color with my new California fuschia, the Dahlia tubers I bought on the internet, and a spiller to-be-determined
• Keep feeding and potting up my peppers, basil, and chamomile as they grow
• Throw out and replace some over-wintered herbs that are just not thriving: mint, oregano, and tarragon

Lastly and most importantly, as the weather finally starts to feel like May, I must take time to enjoy the little green space I’ve created. Wishing the same for you, and happy Mother’s Day!