Starting a garden...

[sarea]

Are there any amateur gardeners out there?

I've had this desire, on and off since I bought my house 4 years ago, to start a garden. A vegetable/fruit one, to be exact. But I don't know anything about gardening. :( I don't even know if having a vegetable/fruit one is possible in the soil I have, or whether they can be grown together, or other obvious things that an experienced gardener would know. I don't need anything fancy ... it would have to just be things that can grow in Seattle's climate.

I'd love to be able to make dinner by going out in the garden and plucking whatever's available. I'd love to have an excuse to be outside more, and to dig into the soil and work the land a bit. I think I would enjoy it. I'm not trying to be extremely ambitious and have a huge vegetable garden or anything. It'd have to be something I could manage spending maybe an hour a day, if that.

I have a huuuuge yard that I do nothing with. My house is about 1,500 sq ft while my lot size is 9,500 sq ft. So I have a lot of room for a garden. Right now all I do is pay someone to come mow it for $980/year (which I am thinking about stopping ... they come like once a month and it's an expense I feel is kind of wasteful). If I had a garden that would mean less grass to mow, too.

So ... anyone have any pointers for a beginner starting her first garden? I know if I want to start one I need to do it soon in order to get things planted by mid-May, I think. That's what I've been told, at least. Maybe it's already too late for this year?

Comments

[ladyreeana.livejournal.com]

Make sure you talk to them about exactly what would be perfect for you to grow. Oddly enough plants and veggies are kind of like pets. Not only do you have to worry about the climate, but you also have to keep in mind how much work you are willing to put into the garden. Do you need simple plants and veggies that don't require a lot of attention due to a busy work schedule? Or do you think you'll have the time for the attention hogs? Lowe's (at lest the ones I've delt with) are really good at answering questions and being helpful to make sure you have what you need, but just make sure they aren't trying to get you to increase their sales for the month. I had that happen once, and never again. Also, takling to people that work at plant nurseries are really great for different ideas on what to get and how to take care of them. They would have beeter info than most people at Lowe's. The library is another great source. I wish you luck! It's a lot of fun as long as you keep it that way.