Hello, I am new to the forum, just introduced myself [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=247308]here[/url]. I am new to gardening and to growing in the pacific northwest, However I have spent two season on small CSA veg farms recently.
From poking around gardening books and forums, it seems that gardening is quite a bit different than farming. Mostly because if I only plant a few tomato plants, I have too care a lot more about each of those plants than if I plant four 350 ft rows of tomatoes. I am also new to year round gardening such as is possible here in mild Oregon.
So, my first question to the forum is this: what troubles should I most avoid in my first year as a gardener? I know a fair bit about pest and disease management from my farm work, also I can manage those sorts of problems as they arise (assuming proper care has been taken in planning). I am most concerned right now with what people here have found their biggest problems as gardeners that they have control over I.e. not weather or pest related. Does that question make since? I hope it does, for me the biggest thing right now seems to be planning succession schedules so that I can be producing food all year. Thanks for your responses and happy growing.
Jon, I just said hello to you over on the introduce yourself forum 
!
You are coming from the Boise area, if I remember right. That's quite a change in climate even if some folks think that Idaho is in the Pacific Northwest . . . more like the Inter-Mountain West, I think.
You may be able to have vegetables in your Portland garden 12 months out of the year but there won't be too much winter growing going on. You will be north of the 45th parallel so the sunlight will be coming low in the south and then, it's Portland! There won't be all that many sunny winter days.
Still, there are plenty of veggies that will stand in your garden all winter.
It is difficult to set yourself up for making the most of the square feet. It becomes a matter of experience. I know that there are some who garden by the moon phases but that sun . . . it makes a big difference in weather and plant growth and our solar calendar is of help. Timing in life . . . and all that
.
All gardening is local. If you can get information from your local Cooperative Extension office, that should serve you best for timing things. Talk up the good gardeners that are around your new home. I bet you are doing some pencil & paper work on your garden - that's a real good idea and so is a garden journal, at least for a few years until the change gets a little more comfortable for you.
I did, and do, something like what you have done except I more-or-less left farming many years ago and it was grain & hay farming and not vegetables. These days, I have fairly large gardens and sell surplus produce at the farmers' market. Certainly, I have never planted 350' rows of tomatoes
!
There are a couple more things that this reminds me of: What grew well in southern Idaho may not grow well for you there in Portland, and conversely. Be flexible enuf that you can take advantage of your local area's best choices (while babying your favorite, fussy vegetables). There are varieties that should be able to help you out - like all the great work OSU has done with short-season tomatoes.
Also your soil -- it isn't likely to be very similar to what you were dealing with before. I have been gardening for decades in one type of soil. When I lived briefly in the Palouse Hills - I was at a loss for doing the right thing to have a good garden. I suppose that it is always best to increase the organic matter to optimum levels. Use good stuff for that. You know, even compost can at times be too coarse to provide nutrients at good levels quickly for plants where the soil tends to be cold for so much of the year.
I hope you have some responses from some "locals." Best of Luck to You!
Steve
!You are coming from the Boise area, if I remember right. That's quite a change in climate even if some folks think that Idaho is in the Pacific Northwest . . . more like the Inter-Mountain West, I think.
You may be able to have vegetables in your Portland garden 12 months out of the year but there won't be too much winter growing going on. You will be north of the 45th parallel so the sunlight will be coming low in the south and then, it's Portland! There won't be all that many sunny winter days.
Still, there are plenty of veggies that will stand in your garden all winter.
It is difficult to set yourself up for making the most of the square feet. It becomes a matter of experience. I know that there are some who garden by the moon phases but that sun . . . it makes a big difference in weather and plant growth and our solar calendar is of help. Timing in life . . . and all that
.All gardening is local. If you can get information from your local Cooperative Extension office, that should serve you best for timing things. Talk up the good gardeners that are around your new home. I bet you are doing some pencil & paper work on your garden - that's a real good idea and so is a garden journal, at least for a few years until the change gets a little more comfortable for you.
I did, and do, something like what you have done except I more-or-less left farming many years ago and it was grain & hay farming and not vegetables. These days, I have fairly large gardens and sell surplus produce at the farmers' market. Certainly, I have never planted 350' rows of tomatoes
!There are a couple more things that this reminds me of: What grew well in southern Idaho may not grow well for you there in Portland, and conversely. Be flexible enuf that you can take advantage of your local area's best choices (while babying your favorite, fussy vegetables). There are varieties that should be able to help you out - like all the great work OSU has done with short-season tomatoes.
Also your soil -- it isn't likely to be very similar to what you were dealing with before. I have been gardening for decades in one type of soil. When I lived briefly in the Palouse Hills - I was at a loss for doing the right thing to have a good garden. I suppose that it is always best to increase the organic matter to optimum levels. Use good stuff for that. You know, even compost can at times be too coarse to provide nutrients at good levels quickly for plants where the soil tends to be cold for so much of the year.
I hope you have some responses from some "locals." Best of Luck to You!
Steve
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jal_ut
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 7447
- Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:20 pm
- Location: Northern Utah Zone 5
Gardening in a new area, I would think your first need would be to find out what is the proper planting time in your new locality for the various crops. I suggest looking for an extension service in your locality, or near, that may have just such info available. A Google search can turn up lots of info.
[url=https://tilth.org/files/oec-1/the-toolshed/planting%20and%20harvest%20calendar.pdf]Example[/url]
Aside from that, if you plan to do a winter garden too, bear in mind you will need to take steps to keep your soil fertility up.
[url=https://tilth.org/files/oec-1/the-toolshed/planting%20and%20harvest%20calendar.pdf]Example[/url]
Aside from that, if you plan to do a winter garden too, bear in mind you will need to take steps to keep your soil fertility up.
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j3707
- Green Thumb
- Posts: 306
- Joined: Sun Jul 12, 2009 10:11 pm
- Location: Pacific Northwest, Zone 8, 48" annual rainfall, dry summers.
Hi DiJon -
First, if you haven't already, get "Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades" by Steve Solomon. It's got all the info on soil, crops, planting dates and advice on year-round gardening in our area.
I've only got a couple seasons under my belt and at a pretty small scale (the "qualified" part of my advice
).. but here are a couple thoughts:
Three seasons of cool, wet weather can be a challenge --- you don't have control over it, but if you want to garden year round you'll want to mitigate. The goal is to minimize dampness and maximize heat retention.
Tomatoes are a good example. Last year, most of mine didn't ripen. I had nice, big green plants and lots of nice green tomatoes. Probably gave them too much nitrogen, but a big factor was the extremely cool and wet Spring. This year, I've made a cloche for my tomato bed.
And...I gotta say it...slugs. I don't put down mulch until Summer. Put it down too early and you just create a breeding ground for gooey grazers.
We need some more experienced PNW gardeners to chime in here...
Have fun!
First, if you haven't already, get "Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades" by Steve Solomon. It's got all the info on soil, crops, planting dates and advice on year-round gardening in our area.
I've only got a couple seasons under my belt and at a pretty small scale (the "qualified" part of my advice
).. but here are a couple thoughts:Three seasons of cool, wet weather can be a challenge --- you don't have control over it, but if you want to garden year round you'll want to mitigate. The goal is to minimize dampness and maximize heat retention.
Tomatoes are a good example. Last year, most of mine didn't ripen. I had nice, big green plants and lots of nice green tomatoes. Probably gave them too much nitrogen, but a big factor was the extremely cool and wet Spring. This year, I've made a cloche for my tomato bed.
And...I gotta say it...slugs. I don't put down mulch until Summer. Put it down too early and you just create a breeding ground for gooey grazers.
We need some more experienced PNW gardeners to chime in here...
Have fun!
Thanks all for the responses. certainly all some good advice. I have already read the better part of growing vegetables west of the cascades as J3707 suggested, and there is certainly a lot of great advice about growing with minimal sun and mild winters contained in its pages. I guess my question was more general though. Not what should I do, as this is certainly very specific to my location and soil, but what are things that all gardeners most struggle with. For example is a lack of planning or a lack of consistent time in the garden a bigger problem for you? Or is it understanding succession planting or companion/antagonistic planting?
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j3707
- Green Thumb
- Posts: 306
- Joined: Sun Jul 12, 2009 10:11 pm
- Location: Pacific Northwest, Zone 8, 48" annual rainfall, dry summers.
...but what are things that all gardeners most struggle with. For example is a lack of planning or a lack of consistent time in the garden a bigger problem for you? Or is it understanding succession planting or companion/antagonistic planting?
The answer is...yes.
I imagine you'd find these issues depend just as much on personal circumstances as anything else.
For me, a challenge is lack of time to expand my garden...which would then also require more time to maintain...
As for the rest, I think understanding comes best with doing. For analogy, consider navigating by map. I need to look at the map and plan a course ahead of time, but I still don't understand the terrain or the route until I actually walk it. In my limited experience, it can be counter-productive to try to get more than a basic understanding of something like succession planting before actually doing it.
Not sure if that's what you're asking, but there ya go!
I think a gardener most struggles with bending nature to his will.
The answer is...yes.
I imagine you'd find these issues depend just as much on personal circumstances as anything else.
For me, a challenge is lack of time to expand my garden...which would then also require more time to maintain...
As for the rest, I think understanding comes best with doing. For analogy, consider navigating by map. I need to look at the map and plan a course ahead of time, but I still don't understand the terrain or the route until I actually walk it. In my limited experience, it can be counter-productive to try to get more than a basic understanding of something like succession planting before actually doing it.
Not sure if that's what you're asking, but there ya go!
I think a gardener most struggles with bending nature to his will.
Many new gardeners jump to the most delicious crops first without realizing they are also the most difficult. After I learned the hard way, I started making the easy to grow crops my foundation so I always get a good harvest: collards, kale, turnips, chicory, etc. You may not be able to control the weather but you can plant crops that can handle your weather. Thumbalina carrot, beets, and turnips are all roots that ride above the soggy soil. I also gave up on succession planting. Most crops have a narrow window of optimum performance and flavor. I stay in it and just dry all the excess.