Calling people who garden!

[lyricae]

I am thinking about planting some tasty vegetables in a small garden here at the house. I am eating so many veggies these days (8-10 servings) that it would be lovely to be able to grow some myself. I'm thinking specifically of tomatoes, squash, strawberries, and perhaps some carrots. Additionally I plan to make a small herb garden. Do these

Comments

[llachglin]

Territorial Seed (http://www.territorial-seed.com, we've also got a current paper catalog somewhere) specializes in varieties that do well in this area, and they've got several tomatoes that we've had good luck with in the past. We've had middling luck with carrots, and haven't tried squash but it should grow fine here. Our strawberries have failed miserably, but I think that's mostly because we're not diligent enough about watering, and we've placed them poorly. I know plenty of people who grow strawberries with great success.

[lyricae]

Thanks! I'll check them out. The whole garden thing is something I've vaguely wanted to do for years, but been fearful of because I can't keep houseplants alive. Hopefully my desire for fresh veggies will override my terrible luck with things that grow.

[llachglin]

Territorial ships starter tomato plants in May, so you should be able to make an order. It's too late to start from seed. Zucchini and other summer squash--which we have grown in the past--grows like crazy. Some herbs do better than others--our rosemary and lavender thrive even though we've ignored our garden recently, while our thyme and oregano did great when we tended them but have been choked to death by weeds. If you stay on top of things even a little, all of the common herbs grow well here.

[solarbird]

Too late for tomatoes. But not at all too late for carrots - too early, in fact, iirc - or salad greens, which do really well here. And I second (and third, and fourth, and so on, until they stop making me wave my arms) the Territorial Seed Company.

Plus, of course, if you want a book, Vegetable Gardening West of the Cascades. Strongly recommended.