Seasonal guides for indoor plants and outdoor gardens across the Pacific Northwest. Twenty-five years of fermenting seaweed on the BC coast — direct, science-grounded, and from someone who actually does this.
What Your Plants Are Waiting For
March is the month that fools you. The light comes back fast — noticeably longer days by mid-month — but the soil is still cold, the nights still drop, and the plants that wintered indoors are sitting in a kind of suspended animation, waiting for a signal that it's safe to move again. Across the Pacific Northwest, March looks different depending on where you are: in Zone 9a on the BC Sunshine Coast or the Oregon coast, you may already have crocuses and early blossom. In Zone 7b in the Willamette Valley or coastal Washington, you're a week or two behind. In Zone 6b in the BC or Washington interior, you may still have frost on the ground. The question I get most often this time of year is some version of: what should I actually be doing right now? The honest answer is: more than most people think, and less than the gardening calendar usually suggests.
The Month Everything Moves at Once
April is the month that makes you feel like you're behind even when you're not. Everything happens at the same time — the soil finally warms, the seedlings you started in March are suddenly too big for their pots, the weeds are three inches tall before you've had your coffee, and the fruit trees are in full blossom before you've finished pruning. Across the Pacific Northwest, April is the pivotal month regardless of zone: in Zone 9a, you're planting out cool-season crops and watching fruit trees finish blossom; in Zone 8a, you're right where Zone 9a was two weeks ago; in Zone 7, you're doing what Zone 8a was doing; in Zone 6b, you're just getting started. The key is knowing what actually needs to happen now versus what can wait.
Full Commitment
May is when you stop hedging. Across most of the Pacific Northwest, the frosts are done, the soil is warm, and the plants that have been waiting in pots and cold frames for six weeks are ready to go. The timing varies: in Zone 9a (Sunshine Coast, Portland, Seattle), you're planting out warm-season crops by mid-May. In Zone 8a (Willamette Valley, coastal Washington), late May. In Zone 7 (inland Oregon and Washington), early June. In Zone 6b (BC and Washington interior), mid-June. But regardless of zone, May is the payoff month — the difference between a garden that was set up well in March and April and one that wasn't becomes visible. The plants with good root systems from early kelp applications are already a different size than their neighbours.
The Dry Season Starts Here
June is when the Pacific Northwest earns its summer reputation. The rain that carried us through spring drops off sharply across the region — in Zone 9a on the BC Sunshine Coast, we can go three, four, sometimes six weeks without meaningful precipitation between mid-June and late August. In Zone 8a (Willamette Valley, coastal Washington), the dry season is similar. Even in Zone 7 and Zone 6b, where summer thunderstorms are more common, June marks a clear shift toward drier conditions. The garden that looked lush and easy in May starts to show you what it's actually made of. Root depth matters now. Soil structure matters. The work you did in March and April either shows up or it doesn't.
New journal articles land each month — indoor plant care, outdoor garden prep, and the science behind fermented kelp that the product page can't say. No newsletter fluff.
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The journal articles are the applied side. The book is the science — six regions, 20+ species, their ecology, tidal zones, and traditional uses.
Seaweeds of the Pacific Northwest