herbs are good - mature fairly quickly - easy to grow - but seed selection is key

That's what I've heard, too. Need good seeds. I hear some of the very best come from B.C.

rockwool

How about some advice on Raspberry cultivar selection for the Puget Sound region. I would like to start a raised bed with these berries only because the soil here is glacier till and hard as a rock.

Found this bit of info., http://www.red-raspberry.org/cultivars.asp

I grow Chillawack - Good variety if you have somewhat wet soil. Comes on strong the 4th of July and last for 3 weeks or so. No disease problems so far (18 years).

I haven't had good luck with the everbearing varieties - But some people like to have berries late in the season. I like to get them all at once and deal with them in July.

Make sure you leave plenty of room between the rows (if you are planting in rows) - You will be surprised how much space they take up. I wish I'd left 5 ft between the rows.

Butternut squash is da bomb and it grows good on the west side. I train mine to grow vertically so it doesn't take up much space.

I finally got rid of my Rasberries. Needed the room for a new shed and was tired of it trying to spread almost as bad as blackberries do.

Seeds? Heven't seen one in quite some time.

No stems, no seeds....

Anyway, we will not be doing any of that "horticulture" here.

Started onions, Walla Walla's and Yellows today, using those little peat tray dealies. 72+ of each variety. If every seed grows an onion, we're gonna have a metric buttload of onions on hand. If each seed grows more than one, well, there will be A LOT.

Told the wife we built a sun room, so I was going to use it for more than a place to feed the cat. She was pretty okay with it. Ryan helped plant the starters.

You've made the mistake of showing me where you live. See you this summer to pick up grub and ride minibikes.

Do they still make Phototron's?

Yup.

Nope, not buying one.

AuntyM, my wife has grown massive numbers of plants in her Aerogarden. That thing can really do a job, but having a good understanding of hydroponic gardening helps. Biggest problem is those little CFL lamps don't give much light penetration, so growing anything more than about 18" tall is tough, especially if you expect it to fruit out.

I'm in the process of building my wife her dream indoor garden. It will be on a 2'x4' table, and have 8 of the 4' long T5 lamps in 2 fixtures. She has fibromyalgia, etc. so it's a tough time for her working in the garden outside. This way she is inside, and working at waist height.

Phototron? Now that's some cool, old-school technology right there... (old school ain't bad though..)

Not too efficient compared to the new Roto-Growing machines. A 1KW HPS in the middle and trays that rotate around it like a ferris wheel. You can do a huge number of strawberries in a system like that.

ISO

A root celler would be cool.

I have a 4ft tall crawl space with concrete floors and lights. The root cellar part is covered.

What are you guys doing for watering systems on your raised bed's?

I build two last year out of fir. Thinking that when they rod out I will have a better idea of what I want. Last year I was carrying the can to water, I would like to "automate" a little more. I have considered a soaker hose and putting in a simple drip hooked up to the hose with a timer.

KK, is there an irrigation supply place you recommend around Duvall/Monroe?

KK, are these irrigation systems adaptable by folks who have reasonable handyman skills? I would want something I could break down each year and allow me to rototill at will without worrying about hitting the system. My guess is that I would store each row of irrigation system, hanging along the fence of the garden. Make sense?

Great info KK...thanks!

You can also order a lot of that material online. One site I've used in the past is Dripworks.Com. They've got anything and everything you would ever need to set up a righteous drip irrigation system.

ISO

I thought this KK dude mowed lawns?