The weather feels like a mirror to my interiority: stress, unease, and worry dominate my mental background noise as I work to find the rhythm of the season, seek out sunshine, praise the rain, and believe in the fundamental good of humankind. In doing so, I care for our little planet and hope for peace and equality for everyone as I go about my gardening every single day.

And yet, here I am, behind with transplanting. I use that word not to be dramatic. To have such large zinnias in such tiny 1 1/2″ soil blocks after May 15 is downright unusual for me. But here comes another round of wind. I really need to heed the lessons of the wind, those that I have not yet reaped because I’m still listening to what it is teaching me about how to garden differently. I keep losing plants to its ferocity, either by sheer desiccation or by severing plants at the base. And with the wind comes cooler temperatures and much needed rainfall starting tonight and lasting for a few days.

Weather determines our garden plans this time of year, so I am holding off planting my zinnia, cosmos, marigolds, dahlias, and gomphrena for a few more days. We have a low of 39 predicted for Wednesday night and so I am waiting to plant them until Thursday. I might tuck a few in and just see how they do, but won’t risk them all.

I’ve got a few trays to start indoors this week, and then again next week I’ll sow some brassicas for the fall garden beds.

Direct Seeding Vegetables

It’s time to shift from cool season direct seeding to main season/heat tolerant crops. These are all mostly 2 month crops, give or take, so we are moving away from little strips of radishes and arugula going in between where we will plant our tomatoes to a larger chunk of space that will be fully occupied until probably August.

Last call for radishes, but the rest of these you can continue to sow through summer. Sow often and harvest early for best results as they are all prone to bolting (flowering) in the heat:

• Arugula
• Cilantro
• Radish
• Scallions/green onions
• Bok choy

Main season vegetables and herbs to direct seed now include:

• Carrots
• Beets
• Corn
• Snap beans (pole or bush)
• Dry beans
• Potatoes
• Garbanzo, lentil, and other dry bean seeds
• Tomatillos (mine are germinating in our cold frame right now)
• Mustard seed
• Flax
• Fenugreek
• Cumin
• Nigella

Sowing Indoors

As we head toward the end of May, my indoor seed starting returns momentarily. I’m focused on my cucurbits this week, then will go all in on my fall brassica garden, sowing seeds for my July transplanting. This is the final big push for indoor seed starting for the season, and it’s always a very welcome milestone to my season, even if my spring brassica garden has felt like one big failure (good thing I’m not writing a book about brassicas this year!)

• Cucumber
• Melon
• Watermelon
• Summer squash
• Winter squash
• Basil
• Celery (for fall transplant)
• Brussels Sprouts (last call!!)
• Heat tolerant lettuces:
  • Coastal Star
  • Concept
  • Jericho

Potting Up

I have some very slow growing celery in a tray that’s been living outside for over a month now; I am going to transplant some of it into 3″ newspaper pots and keep indoors under lights for several weeks and then transplant., in hopes of it becoming my fall celery plants.

I’m having a terrible time getting my celery to germinate this year, so I’m trying to work with what I am able to germinate and grow. (My second planting has only yielded 3 seedlings so far from 5 rows of soil blocks! Dismal germination.) I think I need to order all new seed this fall.

What I’m Transplanting

Last week I started my summer transplanting in earnest:

• Tomatoes
• Peppers
• Eggplants
• Alyssum
• Calendula
• Zinnia (just one variety, my saved Thumbelina)
• Poppies
• Snapdragons
• Artichokes
• Lemongrass

Once we get past that 39 degree night in two days, I am transplanting:

• Zinnia
• Cosmos
• Marigold
• Dahlia
• Gomphrena
• Basil

What I’m not transplanting yet

I am keeping my sesame and peanuts indoors until after this cold front moves through, and then will restart the hardening off process. They won’t get planted until early June. They both require hot weather or they won’t be happy outside.

Keep sowing with curiosity and reverence for the summer ahead.