Now that we have property to spare, I decided that we should have a garden. I'd like to have the following: Onions, garlic, potatoes, green beans, peas, pumpkins, corn, some squash/zuchs, and maybe a few other things. I want easy stuff first, and then I'll get creative next year.

I have two 25'x50' areas that I tilled with the roto tiller over the weekend. Mixed in about 8 yards of 1 year old horse manure. Right now both areas get sun beginning about 9:30 or 10:00am until 1/2 hour before sundown. They'll probably get sun starting at 7:00am or so come may or June.

Total rookie here. Any suggestions on when and what to plant first. Any other soil prep I need to think about? The soil we have is awesome dark black earthy stuff. Relatively fine without much in the way of rocks.

I'll have water available at each garden site, and I can run a timer out there if necessary to make it idiot proof.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions on websites or books to pick up.

Mr. Douglas (greenacres)

Dog,
You need ta invite Stam over fer a visit. As far as home gardens, he's the king IMHO. I'm in the same process, I gotta throw another Panavegas dinner and have him give me some more pointers.

Have Penelton---he will come!

I wonder if my wife has any single friends? Might have to put them up as an offering to Stam.

All the things you mention can be started in may or june. Maybe throw in some tomatoes. The peas can be started early (late april) as they are frost tollerant and enjoy cooler weather. Carrots, radishes, and cucumbers are easy too. I grow in a little different climate than you wet siders so I would take the local advice.

Make sure you have a plan for pests. Deer, birds, rabbitts, bugs, bugs, bugs. The best thing I done for bugs is to have boundaries of where they can be helpfull and where they are not allowed. I allow them to thrive in my compost but poison the flippers arround the plants. Talk to the people at the local garden center and they will tell you what kind of bugs to look out for in your area. Starlings will eat your corn when the ears get just right. Those suns a bitches got me last year real bad. I had never had a bird problem in 7 years and thought the fricks were eatin the ear wigs. Nope they ate the tips off every ear.

Sterquilinus would be proud, Andy.

Plant corn. Nothing like fresh corn on the cob durning an August BBQ.

Not sure if watermelon grows up here though.

We had a huge pile of 'maters and bell peppers last year. Maybe it was the long hot summer. Chives make a tasty weed. Find a neglected corner that gets some sun and you'll have chives forever. You have to dig 'em up to get rid of them. Grapes do good up here but draw in deer from miles.

I'll be planting some Mossy Oak Biologic for the deer elsewhere on the property, and I have enough 10ft poles left over from the apple orchard we started to make a deer-proof fence on one plot. We do like having the deer around, but I think the new pup will hamper the amount of deer we see on a regular basis.

Oh, artichokes are good too, but don't put out much.

Peas can be planted late april but they do not like frost I lost 20 acres once to a frost , Pumpkins mid may you can start them in a greenhouse earlier Corn late may once the ground warms up, Beans late May also but they do not like too much water They will damp off if too wet

Andy, try and figure out your average "Last and First Frost Date".
This will give you approximate dates to work backwards from what the seed pack says, and a season length which is important to know so that you can choose the proper variety for your microclimate.
One good website is wunderground.com. you can input your location, and find local folks who have a "Personal Weather Station". You can even map them to get a good sense of your local climate if you're lucky. They usually have customizable tables, some graphable over time, which is cool.

Plant what you want to eat and/or preserve.
Dried beans have amazing varieties.

We've found we love to eat beets, collards, winter squash, grilled green peppers and shallots and garlic goes nuts.

Gardening is good stuff, and its been on my mind lately:

YOu can get garlic and shallots in now, and spinach under a row cover (bent pvc with painters plastic is perfect).
Next month plant potatoes and peas every two weeks for 6 weeks.
By then you can probably plant out your tenders (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant) and sow your green beans, cabbages, brussels sprouts, leeks, more beets and greens.
maybe wait til the soils warm to plant your corn and melons.

We have been pretty successful with seeds from Territorial Seed. I would suggest getting a catalog just for the culture information even if you don't buy the seeds.

It will be a real learning process. Our first year in Oly we had a killing frost in mid-May. Oly actually has, away from the water, one of the shortest growing seasons in the state. your micro-climate will be really important. In sequim, we planted the tomato plants inside tires; the black tire really collected heat. Without it, poor results up there.

I planted some lettuce in a cold frame yesterday. The rhubarb is already coming up; can almost taste the cobbler already.

We have had lots of problems with birds, primarily crows but others as well, will pull up the seedlings. Our best success has been to plant the seeds under plastic tents until they get established.

Good luck and good eating.

My lot has too many trees to garden here but when I lived near Boise we had a big garden and had the best sucess with raised beds where we could reach the middle of the bed from either side.

Ditto on the raised beds - makes pest control and weeding much easier.

I have had big gardens for 40 years. I second the advice on Territorial seeds. They are a NW company and try to select varieties that grow well here. A couple of tips:

Grow an extra early super sweet corn but do NOT grow two varieties near each other. Add at last 20 day to whatever maturity date the seed company advertizes. Only grow very early tomatoes. Early Girl and Sweet million are proven producers here. Do not sprinkle tomato plants. They typically need very little water or fertilizer. Too much of either will give you tall plants and very few fruits.

Plant a small amount of lettuce or spinach every two weeks, so you never have too much or too little.

Good luck. Nothing like a fresh garden salad, corn on the cob and BBQ salmon.

i've never had much luck growing corn. didn't think we had the greatest climate for the stuff. i did manage to successfully grow popcorn several years back...until i went outside one day and there were over 20 red-wing blackbirds tearing apart my 10x10 corn patch!

i can usually get squash and beans to turn out pretty well, though. i'll usually plant beans after the last frost, then again sometime in june or july to get a fall harvest.

i really want to get a garden started at my new house, as i've got more than enough room. unfortunately i'm going to have to get some fill dirt and do some clearing since a large part of it is a scrub tree filled swamp.

Sounds like the boys will be pressed into pest control duties with the pellet guns.

You are going to need a deer fence Andy.
If not say good bye to a lot of your crop.

Corn is super easy IF:

Choose one with a maturity of 75 days or less, plant in full sun, three rows minimum. I plant three plantings and have sweet corn from ealry August till frost.

Anyone try Bok Choy? I'm going to give it a go and it sounds like I should plant it now. Love it in stir fry's and such.

Dave this reminds me, we need to get that special scarecrow started

I did Bok Choi last fall and it was easy.
Another easy one is Swiss Chard.