Time to plan for summer’s vegetables
Yes, I know it’s the middle of winter, and there’s still a lot of snow on the ground as I write this. Perhaps gardening is the farthest thing from your mind right now. But you and I are about to embark on a rewarding adventure.
If you have ever wanted to grow your own veggies but don’t know where to start, or want to be more successful at it, this column can help you find your way. There are a lot of topics to cover, so that’s why we’re starting now. Things like seed-starting, organic gardening methods, soil preparation, cool and warm season crops, composting, dealing with critters like deer and gophers, and growing herbs. My goal is to address each topic in a timely manner so you can stay on track with your own garden.
Each week, I will also take you out to my garden for updates on how it’s coming along and talk about what needs to be done. But most of all, I want to give you the confidence to grow a great garden.
Gardening 101
The Inland Northwest is in USDA zone 5. This means our winter temperatures can drop to minus 10 to minus 20 F. We have approximately 120 frost-free days from about mid-May to mid-September but our season can go longer than that.
When choosing a site for your garden, keep in mind that for vegetables to thrive, they need a minimum of six hours of sunlight daily. Watch the area during the course of a day to see if trees or structures cast too much shade on it. If you aren’t blessed with full sunlight, some leafy vegetables like lettuce and spinach can be grown in partial shade. Make sure the site drains well because plant roots will not tolerate standing water during the growing season.
If you live in an apartment with a sunny balcony, there’s no reason why you can’t grow some veggies in containers.
If this will be your first vegetable garden, I recommend not getting carried away with an enormous one.
A garden can be configured using three methods. Flat-row planting involves growing vegetables in long, straight rows. Intensive gardening consists of blocks of closely-planted vegetables which is very productive because there is a higher yield per square foot. Raised beds are built-up soil that may or may not be framed with lumber or other materials. This is my favorite method because it has so many advantages. I will discuss it in detail in a few weeks.
Now is the time to get out paper and pencil, look through those seed catalogs and make a wish list of what you would like to grow. If you don’t already receive every seed catalog known to man, go to www.mailordergardening.com and sign up for the ones that catch your eye. I’ve provided a list of what I’m growing this year to give you ideas.
Next week’s topic is seed-starting.