You may want to go with plastic pots to keep the weight down and go as large as possible. I tried a few commercial bagged mixes before settling on Foxfarm Ocean Forest mix. Your biggest issue will be watering. I assume you don't have a spigot outdoors but you can attach a hose thread adapter to a kitchen sink and run a hose out to the balcony. The hotter it gets the more watering you will need to do and lugging a big flower pot back and forth is no fun as I learned last season. I am right on the coast so I was lulled into a false sense of security with the spring and summer fogs last year but got a rude shock in late summer and fall and had a hard time keeping up with watering. I grow all ornamental plants. Started out with a focus on hummingbird plants and have shifted to succulents to help keep down my water use. It may be too late already for peas in your climate but it may be worth a try anyway since the nights are probably still cool. I love my little balcony garden but I can't wait to have a yard again. Good luck!

We get some rose blooms all the way into November. It doesn't get cold enough here for the roses to really go dormant. I prune some time between Christmas and Valentine's Day. Most hybrid teas, grandifloras, floribundas and miniature roses repeat bloom from spring until fall. Many shrub roses, climbers and heritage varieties do too. I will put a link to information on rose clubs in Southern California. You won't need to be a member to go to a meeting and ask questions -- the best advice on good varieties that bloom well your area will come from folks who live in your microclimate. In public rose gardens with labeled varieties you can see how the plants look, and at rose shows (several held this fall and next spring) you can see hundreds of cut blooms grown locally. Here is a link that might be useful: Southern California rose societies

Hello ... Cambria is an interesting place ... Monterey is also one of my favorites ... the climate in California can change significantly over a short distance ... it is a very hard to generalize california's climate ... and so many kinds of plants can find a nook to live even in a small local area .. during the summer one can go from cool pleasant ocean weather to very hot dry desert in just a few hours drive. The aquarium in Monterey is cool place to visit if you are a science type ... the Hearst Castle in Cambria is also interesting in terms of gardening .. history and architecture. If you wait a few years and find the love of your life the Moon Stone Inn in cambria is a very magical place ... although I have not been there in quite a number of years .. so things could have changed. Cambria is a small town with lots of creative energy .. perhaps it is where you will live when you become a mathematics wizard ! Good Day ...

If you would like to see pictures of this event please follow the California Gardening thread Sanda