Pretty new to gardening... help? Tons of questions

[~gd]

Sorry if I am to "negative" to suit you but there are a whole lot of soils that will not support a garden. small city lots are often this waY. Small lots often go with 'brownfields' in cities where there is just enough topsoil briought in to cover the building rubble. Love Canal NY, Times Beach MO ane the two most famous ones but there are "brownfields" in and around many cities. There are two good ways to learn about your soil get it tested or try to grow something. Heck the rural town where I grew up has a brownfield that is owned by the school system. They wondered why they couldn't get grass to grow on one of the sports fields so they got it tested,it was 7.2 times the legal limit for Arsenic. Back in the day pressure treated wood contained Arsenic and every bit of wooden playground equipment that had been removed from the district schools had been buried out there.
I wonder how self sufficient people can beleive that TS will HF in the future can maintain such a Pollyanna outlook on the present and the past. ---gd----

 

[moolie]

Having grown up and lived in the Pacific Northwest (North Vancouver BC and Victoria/Vancouver Island BC Canada) for more of my life than I've lived here in the Canadian Rocky Mountain Foothills on the edge of the prairies, and having friends from your neck of the woods (Tumwater WA and Vancouver WA) I can speak a little to the soils that are common in that geographic area. This area is predominantly rain forest, classified as having a "mediterranean" climate--the reality of this for gardeners is that you have way more frost-free days per year than other more northern gardeners, but also more cloud cover and rainfall than other climates, so gardening can be hit and miss.

The soil tends to be more acidic due to all the evergreens, and the volcanic rock underlying some areas--rhododendrons/azaleas and hydrangeas and other acidic-soil loving plants LOVE your soil. Tomato and potato blight are more common because of the damp conditions in which they thrive, and you may find that you cannot grow either outside of a greenhouse or under plastic row covers where they will be more protected from the spores (my Aunt who lives near Vancouver BC grows all of her tomatoes under a plastic-covered "lean-to" beside her house to thwart blight). Sun-loving plants will suffer if you have shaded areas of your back yard in addition to all the cloud cover throughout the summer months. Herbs do best if you ignore them and let nature water them, as they do best when they "suffer" and your typical summer weather will provide more than enough water. Most root crops (carrots, radishes, beets etc.) will do better if you mix sand deeply and well into their growing area for better drainage. I'm sure there's more, I just need to remember what else we did!

Definitely get your soil tested if you have any concerns about your yard's ability to support food crops.

However I'd note that the area has not been settled nearly as long as communities in the eastern US and communities are far smaller and fewer between that in other parts of the US--there is very little likelihood of your home having been built on a "brownfield" since these don't exist in the Pacific Northwest.

My best piece of advice to anyone starting raised beds is to purchase compost from your local nursery, we buy it by the "yard" (10" x 10" x 3') and buy a yard or two every spring to top up our raised beds and equalize the soil after the previous year's crops have somewhat depleted it. We also spread compost on our lawns spring and fall as a fertilizer that is easily accessible to the grass--we have a pretty green lawn that is also drought-tolerant (because it has to be, we only water our lawn about once or twice a month throughout the summer). We also incorporate our own compost into our gardens, but we do not make not nearly enough for the size of our gardens.

 

[pinkfox]

im also going to suggest, since you have limited space...figure out what everyone i thehouse LIKES to eat...dedicating a 4x8 bed to broccoli if noone LIKES broccoli is just plain silly lol, devoting space to cilantro if you have the "soapy" gene (like me) is just a waste of space.

I personaly focus on growing things i like.
for me, thats tomatoes, peppers, onions, carrots, chives, basil, peas lettuce, spinach, strawberries, squash, melons ect.

I dont liek cauliflower, brussel sprouts, broccoli ect...so why give it space?

 

[ORChick]

Sorry if I am to "negative" to suit you but there are a whole lot of soils that will not support a garden. small city lots are often this waY. Small lots often go with 'brownfields' in cities where there is just enough topsoil briought in to cover the building rubble. Love Canal NY, Times Beach MO ane the two most famous ones but there are "brownfields" in and around many cities. There are two good ways to learn about your soil get it tested or try to grow something. Heck the rural town where I grew up has a brownfield that is owned by the school system. They wondered why they couldn't get grass to grow on one of the sports fields so they got it tested,it was 7.2 times the legal limit for Arsenic. Back in the day pressure treated wood contained Arsenic and every bit of wooden playground equipment that had been removed from the district schools had been buried out there.
I wonder how self sufficient people can beleive that TS will HF in the future can maintain such a Pollyanna outlook on the present and the past. ---gd----

Sorry ~gd - I did say that I agreed with some of what you had written. Soil testing was part of that, though I didn't actually say it; I suppose I should have. Also, I have lived in the west for most of my life, and in the PNW for 10 years. Doesn't make me an expert on the area by any means, but perhaps I know a little more of the general growing conditions here than someone who doesn't personally know the area (now, I don't know; possibly you spent the better part of your life in WA, OR, or BC. If so I apologize for generalizing). Reading the OP you will note that the writer mentioned raised beds. Most small yards will not be able to supply the soil to completely fill several such beds, so it is a good bet that soil will be brought in, which should negate much of the need to worry about possible *problem* soil. And, for the record, I really don't believe in a major SHTF/EOTWAWKI scenario, even though I like to garden and keep a full pantry. The one does not necessarily follow from the other.
But yes, I do think you are often very negative. And, in this case, negative to the point of being discouraging to a neophyte gardener. There are several ways you could have said what you needed to say without making the OP feel that the whole effort might be a waste of time (I don't know if this is how s/he did feel after reading it, but it is how I very well might have if I didn't know better). It is also, in my opinion, irresponsible to give the idea (as you most emphatically did) that organic gardening is bound to fail in the first years, and (by inference) is a second best, not particularly worthwhile way to garden in any case. I have been gardening organically for more than 30 years, and do pretty well at it. And did in the first years as well.

 

[User4960]

Everything that Moolie said is completely right as far as gardening goes, and I suggest Moolie's advice most of what the others, myself included, have suggested.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

How about you get started mainly with some easy stuff like squash, cucumbers, greenbeans.......and just try to add a few other things, after insuring you did the sure fire stuff first.
I think you have the right additude. If you have 2 sources of support, and a place to do these things, you probably can pull your weight and honestly contribute. At the very least, right now you are cooking and that costs way less than take out......plus way less grease.
Check out your local library. There is a lot you can pick up in a book. Get everything you can on square foot gardening, mulching, no work gardening, etc.....
Goodluck and welcome.

 

[~gd]

Having grown up and lived in the Pacific Northwest (North Vancouver BC and Victoria/Vancouver Island BC Canada) for more of my life than I've lived here in the Canadian Rocky Mountain Foothills on the edge of the prairies, and having friends from your neck of the woods (Tumwater WA and Vancouver WA) I can speak a little to the soils that are common in that geographic area. This area is predominantly rain forest, classified as having a "mediterranean" climate--the reality of this for gardeners is that you have way more frost-free days per year than other more northern gardeners, but also more cloud cover and rainfall than other climates, so gardening can be hit and miss.

The soil tends to be more acidic due to all the evergreens, and the volcanic rock underlying some areas--rhododendrons/azaleas and hydrangeas and other acidic-soil loving plants LOVE your soil. Tomato and potato blight are more common because of the damp conditions in which they thrive, and you may find that you cannot grow either outside of a greenhouse or under plastic row covers where they will be more protected from the spores (my Aunt who lives near Vancouver BC grows all of her tomatoes under a plastic-covered "lean-to" beside her house to thwart blight). Sun-loving plants will suffer if you have shaded areas of your back yard in addition to all the cloud cover throughout the summer months. Herbs do best if you ignore them and let nature water them, as they do best when they "suffer" and your typical summer weather will provide more than enough water. Most root crops (carrots, radishes, beets etc.) will do better if you mix sand deeply and well into their growing area for better drainage. I'm sure there's more, I just need to remember what else we did!

Definitely get your soil tested if you have any concerns about your yard's ability to support food crops.

However I'd note that the area has not been settled nearly as long as communities in the eastern US and communities are far smaller and fewer between that in other parts of the US--there is very little likelihood of your home having been built on a "brownfield" since these don't exist in the Pacific Northwest. Pacific Northwest projects net $2.7 million in latest round of EPA Brownfields funding. Release Date: 05/12/2006

My best piece of advice to anyone starting raised beds is to purchase compost from your local nursery, we buy it by the "yard" (10" x 10" x 3') and buy a yard or two every spring to top up our raised beds and equalize the soil after the previous year's crops have somewhat depleted it. We also spread compost on our lawns spring and fall as a fertilizer that is easily accessible to the grass--we have a pretty green lawn that is also drought-tolerant (because it has to be, we only water our lawn about once or twice a month throughout the summer). We also incorporate our own compost into our gardens, but we do not make not nearly enough for the size of our gardens.

 

[odd_duck99]

I am in Everett, WA. I had to jump in!

I would recommend seeds from Territorial Seed, eventually at least. I started with seeds from Fred Meyer, and they did alright. Never had much luck with the tomatoes. They would produce some, but most would still be sitting there green when the frost came! Territorial is well-known and is located in Oregon. They have many varieties that are super early or good for cooler climates. They are more expensive than the super market seeds, but I think they will do better. We just bought from them this year, so this is just speculation! Check your local nurseries. (Find a good one!) I just realized that my local nursery carries territorial seeds just after I ordered them online! (d'oh!)

If you don't have sunny space for all the seed trays, buy starts. They are easier, though more expensive than getting seeds. Perhaps do some things from seed and some from purchased starts. In a good nursery, the things you can buy are ok to put in the ground. For example, you won't find tomatoes yet.

Know that there is a learning curve. Just jump in and see what you get. Learn from it and change what you do the next year, etc. I am still classified as a baby-gardener, though I have been doing it a few years now. However, I feel that I finally have a grasp of the climate here and how gardening works on a general level. Now I want to get GOOD at it!

What I have learned: Make sure your yard has enough sun, plant what you will eat, utilize companion gardening and pots or other containers, try different varieties etc until you find what you like, don't get too excited and over plant your garden - you will get plant diseases, pay attention to what plants like the cooler temps and what plants you will have to wait until JUNE to put outside! lol!

I think your raised beds are a good idea for this climate. They are usually warmer, faster than the ground. Also pay attention to how hard your ground is. Plants didn't do too well here my first year, then I planted in raised beds. The soil was much looser, even though I had tilled the best I could with a shovel. We get so much rain that my clay-ish swamp soil got rather hard in the summer, and nothing could grow roots well enough!

There is probably more I could share, but it's time to go to bed! (or - roost - as I read someone else say on a different thread. LOL!)

Good luck and tell us how it goes!

 

[ORChick]

Let me second the recommendation for Territorial Seeds. They specialize in seeds for gardeners west of the Cascades, and their catalog has a lot of good planting and growing information specifically for the PNW. They are more expensive than supermarket seeds, but I have always had good luck with them. And, fortunately for me, they are located just 3/4 hour north of me on Highway 5, so I can stop in on my way up to the "Big City", and save the shipping costs.

 

[Dawn419]

This will be my third gardening season at our new place and one lesson I've learned with raised beds is to turn/till/dig up the soil under the area that you plan to put your raised beds. Got in a hurry the first year and didn't do so and paid for it with poor plant growth...the roots never penetrated the hard-packed, rocky soil below the raised beds.

Hubby made my two raised beds 5' wide by 20' long. Another problem...5' wide is too wide for me to comfortably reach the middle of wqithout stepping in the beds...which compacts the soil. Will eventually get them trimmed back to 2' or 3' wide to make it easier for me.

One thing you didn't mention is what type of sun exposure does your future garden area recieve? That can play a huge part in what type of veggie plants you want to grow, too.