A Seasonal Herb Planter, a Workshop, and a Garden Tour. What's Happening This May
- Jackie
- May 4
- 5 min read
It was 80 degrees in Seattle yesterday. Hot for early May, dry for early May, and the kind of weekend where you walk past the herb beds, smell the basil starting to come in and the lemon balm exploding (I have already harvested it twice this season), and think, I should really be doing more with these.
This post is for that thought.
Three things are happening at Palatino Garden Adventures this May, and all three of them came out of the same place. People keep asking me how to start. Not how to grow tomatoes from scratch, not how to design a whole kitchen garden, just how to begin. Something small. Something they will not kill in two weeks. Something that smells good and gets used in the kitchen and does not require buying a truckload of soil.
Here is what I have for you.
A Seasonal Herb Planter, hand-delivered in Seattle
At the Celebrating Dreams event last week I brought one of my two herb planters as part of my display. Galvanized tub, organic soil, seven herbs picked from a list of what actually thrives in our climate. People asked where they could get one. They asked at the event, and they asked afterwards.
So I am making them to order.
You pick the seven herbs from my list, I put the planter together, and I drop it off in Seattle. No shipping box, no nursery trip, no standing in the garden center wondering if rosemary and basil want the same kind of water (they do not). The plants are healthy starts that I have already grown out, the soil mix is the one I use in my own beds, and the planter itself is sturdy enough to live on a deck or a patio for years.
The price is $85, and the order cutoff for Mother's Day delivery is Friday, May 8. If you have a mom, a stepmom, a mother-in-law, or a friend who keeps saying she wants to start growing things and never quite does, this is the gift that gets her past the first hard step.
Reserve yours at palatinogardenadventures.com/product-page/seasonal-herb-planter, or send me a message and I will set you up.
A herb workshop on May 16
The people who get the herb planter usually have a follow-up question within about a week. Now what? When do I cut the basil? Why is the parsley flopping over? Can I pick the mint already?
That is what the workshop is for.
Growing herbs year-round does not have to be complicated, and it does not have to be overwhelming. This is a small-group workshop for beginners who want to grow reliable, useful herbs through the seasons in real-world conditions, not Pinterest gardens.
We will focus on which herbs actually thrive year-round in our climate, how to set them up for long-term success in containers or beds, simple care routines for harvesting, pruning, and winter survival, and how to avoid the most common beginner mistakes that lead to plant loss.
This is not about growing everything. It is about growing the right herbs, in the right way, with a system you can maintain.
You will leave with clear planting and care guidance you can reuse year after year, seasonal reference materials and beginner-friendly worksheets, and a calmer, more confident approach to herb gardening. Free resources included with registration.
May 16, in my garden, here in Seattle. The group is kept small on purpose so the workshop stays interactive and so everybody actually gets their questions answered. If you have a herb planter from me already, this is the natural next step. If you do not, you are still welcome.
Book your spot at A year-around Herb Garden Workshop.
A Garden Tour on May 23
The May Garden Tour is scheduled for May 23. Same thing as before. A walk through my actual working kitchen garden, in real life, so you can see what a PNW kitchen garden looks like in late May. The raised beds, what is in the ground, what is still in the greenhouse waiting on me, what worked last year, the stuff I am still figuring out.
This is not a class either. No lecture about soil, no planting schedule walkthrough, no trying to teach you everything I know in 90 minutes. Just a tour. You come, you walk around with me, you ask whatever you want.
I started doing these because most people have never actually seen a working kitchen garden in their own climate. Magazine photos and Pinterest are not the same thing. Walking past somebody's actual rosemary, in their actual yard, with the actual chaos of a real growing season around it, is what makes the whole idea of a kitchen garden suddenly feel possible.
The tour is free. Small group, here in Seattle. Sign up HERE and I will share the date details and the address.
Why all three at once
If you are wondering why I am putting these in the same post, here is the honest answer.
They all do different jobs.
The herb planter is for the person who is not ready to start a whole garden but wants something growing. It is the smallest possible step. Seven herbs, one tub, on your deck.
The workshop is for the person who has herbs (or is about to have herbs) and wants to know how to actually use them without watching forty YouTube videos.
The tour is for the person who is curious about a real kitchen garden but has never stood in one. It is the moment where the idea stops being abstract.
Most people do not need all three. Most people need one of the three. The trick is figuring out which one fits where you are right now.
If you are not sure, send me a message and tell me a little about your space and what you are hoping for. I will tell you which of the three I think makes the most sense to start with.
There is no wrong answer here. Even if the answer is none of them, that is fine too. Spring is long, and a kitchen garden is a slow conversation. We can keep talking.
Happy spring growing. The basil and the bees say hi.
Jackie
Palatino Garden Adventures
Grow With Me & Get Monthly Garden Tips:
May bookings are now open for both the Executive Blueprint and one-on-one consultation sessions.
→ The Blueprint is the full design phase - soil assessment, crop selection, succession plan, and layout - everything covered in this post, done for your specific space. Book here.
→ Consultation sessions are a good fit if you want to work through one piece of it yourself with guidance. Either way, the spring planting window sets the deadline, and spots fill before it arrives. Book here.
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