If you want to start prepping your garden for a bloom of springtime bulbs, the time is now!  Fall is a great time to start planting bulbs in order to have a garden with brimming colors as early as mid to late winter. Bulbs are really easy to plant and can be planted just about anywhere in your garden as long as they have well drained soils. September is the ideal month to plant bulbs in the bay area as the ground starts to cool down, but they can be planted into December as long as the temperature is cool and not expecting repeating days of severe freezes.

  1. When preparing to plant, loosen the soil thoroughly and add compost if needed.
  2. Dig a hole with a flat bottom and position the bulbs with the pointy side up. A rule of thumb when planting a bulb is to plant it twice as deep as the bulb is tall. There is even a bulb planting tool that you can pick up at most garden centers or online. (bulb tool)
  3. The great thing about bulbs is that you can plant them in clusters and even layer different kinds of bulbs depending on their size and bloom period!
  4. Once planted, water the bulbs immediately to encourage them to produce roots. The sooner the roots develop the sooner the bulbs can tolerate cold and frost.

Freesia, Allium, Crocus, Hyacinths, and Daffodils bulbs are fairly easy bloomers that you can enjoy year after year.