Gardening is one of the many ways to enjoy the mild climate of the Pacific Northwest. However, beginning gardening can be an intimidating prospect. It’s important to remember that anyone can be a gardener, whether that’s maintaining a small box of herbs on your window ledge, cultivating a small plot of land on the side of your house, or completely landscaping your entire yard into a horticultural paradise. Where you choose to progress in your gardening journey is completely up to you!
If you’re just starting out, here are some tips for how you can make the most of your spring gardening experience.
You don’t need to begin with a massive plot of land to start a garden. Decide which size feels manageable to you. Often, determining the size of the garden will be reliant upon the space you have in your yard or the time that’s available for you to tend to it. Determining the size and location in your yard will also be closely connected with what you want to grow.
Are you interested in a vegetable garden that will keep your salad bowl filled? Or an herb garden for tasty dinner toppings? An important first step for beginning a spring garden is to determine what types of plants you’re interested in cultivating this year.
Beans, onions, leafy greens like lettuce or spinach, carrots, peas, beets, and turnips all grow well in the Pacific Northwest climate. Mint, rosemary, lavender, cilantro, parsley, and sage are herbs that also grow well.
Plan on buying some vegetable gardening soil to help start your plants with the right foundation. Some soil comes with fertilizer in it, while others don’t, so if your soil doesn’t have fertilizer, find a nutrient-rich fertilizer to help your plants thrive. The Almanac provides a comprehensive guide on picking the best fertilizer for your soil.
If you’re planting seeds directly in the ground, make sure that you’re checking the temperature required for germination. Every plant will be different, so mapping your seeds with the temperatures of the Pacific Northwest spring time will be important. Alternatively, you can start your seeds indoors in a controlled climate until you have small starts, and then plant those into the soil when the temperature is right.
The way sunlight hits your yard will vary across the course of a year, so make sure to note where the sun falls on spring and summer days in your yard. Plant your vegetables or vegetation that require the most sun in the areas of your yard that get more than 6-8 hours of sun a day. Do you have a fairly shady yard? Don’t fret! There are still plants that can thrive in partial sun or shade. Check out this helpful list from the Farmers Almanac to see how much sunlight is recommended for which plants.
Slugs, rabbits, birds, squirrels, deer…There are so many creatures in the Pacific Northwest that are intent upon eating a snack wherever they can get it. You can add chicken wire or hardware cloth to your garden’s perimeter to help keep out creatures. Slugs are especially notorious for snacking on the smallest plant starts. If possible, keep your plant starts elevated above the ground until they’re strong enough to be planted in the soil and withstand a slug attack. You can also set beer traps for slugs, by cutting off the top of a plastic cup, burying it a few inches into the soil so it’s level with the ground, and filling it with cheap beer. The slugs will gravitate toward the trap and leave your lettuce starts alone!
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