Groxie

It’s rainy and cold here, so we’ve been bunkering down with lots of indoor projects. One that really lifts my mood is working on our plan for our first real vegetable garden. We’ve had a little square foot raised garden before, but it was home mainly to herbs. Now we finally have a large enough space to expand, and we’re probably being a little too ambitious, having already started over 70 seeds! But during these overcast, drizzy days, it is warming to see our little sprouts poking out. We’re all just waiting for spring.

Everything is new: growing lots of veggies, constructing a garden path, planting a backyard that has acidic soil and little sun, dealing with the Northwest climate, and learning how to organize and plan it all. I’ve been pulling plenty of useful tidbits from the Oregon Extension Service, but we also came across a great new resource that wasn’t available in Virginia.

A couple of weekends ago at Powell’s we picked up a copy of Seattle Tilth’s Maritime Northwest Garden Guide. It was only $10—a steal compared to the other gardening books we flipped through and well worth every penny. The guide contains information about everything you need to know to start and maintain a garden in the Northwest. For newbies like us, it is a godsend. There is a detailed monthly list of what should be planted, started indoors, and what other garden chores should be tended to. The guide addresses rotation techniques, extending the growing season, beneficial insects, seed and plant resources…the list is endless.

Seattle isn’t the only area with a Tilth group. There is also one in Oregon and California, and I’m sure there are others I haven’t found yet. I’ll still turn to the extension service, but now I have another resource I can trust when it comes to growing our food. If you’re not ready for the $10 commitment, check out their website for oodles of great info.