Edible landscaping has finally made it to the Pacific Northwest. Whether by whim or practicality, growing vegetables or other produce has come into vogue. I am hoping it is more than a craze. If you are one of those people who boils the water and then picks the corn going into the pot, you will be eating the ultimate in fresh food. And, you’ll be assured that your crop has not been sprayed with pesticides. Want your children to eat more fruits and vegetables? Plant a fruit tree, add some berry bushes, and plant your own produce.

Layout

Take a walk around your entire house and note which areas have the most sun. In order to produce, whether vegetable, berry or fruit, plants require full sun. The horticultural definition of “full sun” is six hours or more. If we can get more than six, we should. The growing season is short here as it is; we do not need to truncate the growing season further.

Soil

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have been blessed with some odd mixtures of soil. There is gravel till further north, clay soil here in the Eastside region and more sandy soil in the Mercer Island area. However you slice it, there is not enough organic matter that adds nutrients and creates friable soil for vegetable gardening. Vegetables are “heavy feeders,” or they require more nutrients to produce crops. And, they require good drainage so their roots are not sitting in saturated soil leading to stem rot.

Now take your shovel and see how deep you can dig. Clay soils will need to be amended with compost. Determine the size of the mature plant width by consulting the seed packet and amend a circular area to suit your plant.

Spacing

There is a world of information on the back of a seed packet. Dig them out and get an idea of mature plant sizes. Box stores sell short wooden stakes that can be used to designate areas for planting. Mark the name of the plant on the stake along with the width x height of the plant. Grade plants according to height, putting lower plants in the front and taller in the back.

Planting

Take a look at the stem of your plant and notice where the soil hits it. Plant your seedlings to the same depth. If you are planting a tree or shrub, you will want to measure the root ball’s height and plant no deeper. Then amend the soil with compost in a circular area 4 feet across. You are looking for a mix of 25 percent compost and the balance native soil. Fruit trees or shrubs need a good start so you may also want to add organic slow-release fertilizer to the mix. Check the box and look for small numbers: 4-6-4 or 4-4-4 to ensure that you do not burn the roots. Vegetables can handle 18-10-10 fertilizers but not trees or shrubs.

Starting seedlings

Since vegetable maturation rates vary widely, check the seed packet for a day count to maturity. If you want to harvest at the end of August, and the maturation time is 49 days and the germination rate is seven days, then you would be seed starting around July 4. Be aware that not all vegetables grow at all times of the year. There are those suited for cooler weather and others that like it hot and humid, such as slicing tomatoes. This year I’m planting cherry tomatoes and Marzanos.

After you have your strategy in place, call in the extra hands! Get your kids to help put a sterilized soilless mix in small starter pots. Sterilized, soil-less mix will help to keep soil-borne diseases at bay. A heating pad can facilitate for speedy, reliable starts especially if you keep your home on the cool side in the early spring. Seedling heat pads can be obtained through Growers Supply on-line. A 9 inch by 18 inch pad will be large enough to start 18, 4-inch pots, which can hold three or four seedlings. Keep your seeds damp until seeds are germinated.

Pay attention to watering

After your seedlings have come up, water when the top one-fourth inch of the soil is almost dry – not bone dry. You do not want to promote damping off, a fungal soil-borne/seed-borne disease that causes the crown (stem base) of your seedling to rot. I loved watering seedlings as a kid.

When the first set of true leaves unfurl, it is time to transplant your seedlings into larger pots. Place one plant per pot. At this point, you can transplant your crop and start a new batch of seedlings with the heating pad. If you have seedlings for lettuce planted every two to three weeks, you will have carrots, radishes and lettuce through out the season.

I used to work in stained glass, and a tool I used there called a “fid” is the perfect transplant tool for seedlings. By holding on to one leaf of the true leaves, I can lift the new roots out easily using the fid as a small spade.

Hardening off

If it is below 50 outdoors at night, you will need to toughen up your plants before they move outside. Move your seedlings to a protected but unheated place like a garage or shed for the evenings and return them to their sunny window during the day. After a few days, more outside for a short time during the day, gradually increasing the time until they can remain outside all day and night. If you start hardening off May 1, by May 15 they will be ready to plant.

Planting outdoors

Want to skip hardening off? Now they have seeds in biodegradable strips. Once the soil has warmed up, you can plant these seed strips and not worry about proper seedling spacing. Or, skip the seeds altogether and purchase starter seedlings. Spend a Saturday morning planting with your kids! Plant outdoors after the last hint of frost has vanished, usually around May 15 in our area. Have your soil ready to go. For vegetables, use a ratio of 50 percent compost to 50 percent native/existing soil and mix well. To be sure they don’t get frosted, cover with Reemay each night until night time temps do not go back into the 30s or low 40s.

This should get you going! Check out my gardening classes at the Peter Kirk Community Center in Kirkland: www.kirklandparks.net and click on the link for the Kirkland Parks Brochure.

Questions? Nancy Tom of Down-to-Earth Gardens, Inc. is an Environmental Horticulturist. She has been designing, installing and maintaining gardens and landscapes on the Eastside since 2000. Web: downtoearthgardens.com or call her at 425-736-0420.