Ok where do I start? What books to read? 1st time gardener!

[HummusDip]

How do I find out which area I live in for climate zones or whatever? I always hear people speak of their zone. ???

What are the best books that we can read that will help us out?

We are VERY drawn to sq ft gardening. What do you all think of that? Did you learn about it by book or the internet? (i've only read internet stuff)

What do I need, how much do I need, and what are the estimates in prices? We want to go fully organic. We want a pretty nice sized garden, enough to get plenty of food from, but nothing to overwhelm us as first time gardeners.

We're in western Wa...

[FaithfilledGranolaChick]

It looks like you are either in zone 8a or 8b

The majority of Grays Harbor and Pacific Counties, Washington, fall into USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 8a and 8b, which have an average annual minimum temperature range of 10 to 15 F and 15 to 20 F, respectively.

I never did square foot garden (maybe I will next time) I got some organic gardening books from the library. They had some specific to my area too. My garden didn't do well at all... but it was my first time and a learning experience. So we will try again next yr. Right now I am doing some container gardening... but I cannot wait to get out and plant a huge one :heart

[Codi]

Never heard of it. Googled it and it looks very interesting! Id totally do it here, but we only plan on being here a year...not sure if it would be worth it. :think

I didn't realize you had a yard to do this in! :rockon That rocks!!

[canadiyank]

A subscription to Organic Gardening would be a wise investment. It's an excellent publication and they also have a really good site and forums. :tu

www.organicgardening.com

[celestial princess]

:nak2 :heart

[HummusDip]

Thank you all! Yes I think we would be in 8b, as I don't think I've ever seen it 10 degrees here.

I'm going to talk to my dh about the mag sub too.

So what do you all think of sq ft gardening? Has anyone tried it or jsut heard of it? Whats the best way to start out in your opinion? I know if I don't do sq ft gardening, so I do raised beds? Or directly into the ground?

[illinoismommy]

What is square foot gardening?

We have a garden that is half strawberries and half anything we want to plant that years. I can't wait until next year, my strawberries should be ready to berry that year.... we love strawberries!

[FaithfilledGranolaChick]

Oh, I forgot to tell you... I subsribed (for free) to some seed catalogs. I ended up ordering from seedsofchange.com They have a great selection (all organic) and heirloom seeds-which is what I try to buy.

I love the idea of raised beds. I really want to go that way w/ our next garden but we would need the supplies, like wood and stuff to build the beds. I bet the garden would do a lot better :)

I fouund this that looks helpful on how to build one


http:// frugaldad.com/2008/03/03/how-to-build-a-square-foot-garden/


When do you plan to start?.... I think we are going to get started in Jan. (At least to plant different types of melons) Right now in my containers I have kale, green leaf lettuce, beet root, broccoli, and some herbs (I forgot what else, some of it is just now starting to sprout)

[Blue-EyedLady]

:cup

I used to garden years ago when I lived in NY, but now that I live out west, I'm at a loss for how to grow ANYTHING here!

[Firebird Rising]

I :heart square foot gardening.

I'm starting my seeds soon so they'll be nice and strong come March and then we'll cold frame them outside...

If I move ANYWHERE, a SFG is the first thing I'll set up :yes

[Herbwifemama]

I'm no expert, but I really like Food Not Lawns and Frugal Gardening for books. Makes me feel like I can really do it. :)

And I also like Great Garden Formulas (it's sort of the Clean Home Clean Planet of gardening books) and Great Garden Companions is good as well, another one that made me feel like I could do it.And anything by Ellen Sandbeck, for many reasons. :)

[ncsweetpea]

...and you can always ask Canadiyank! She's a gardening guru! :)

Thanks! I never thought I'd enjoy gardening, but I do. :D And HummusDip has seen my gardens - she was here when I got a truckfull of compost delivered...we had quite an adventure that day! :giggle

Oh no!!!! I meant to quote this, not edit it. I'm sooooooo sorry!!!! :doh Gah!!

Sorry sweetpea...I don't know how to fix it now and I'm making a bigger mess!! Ack! Maybe you can edit it and put what you had here originally? So sorry!

:blush

(the quote was by the OP, the edit and mess by canadiyank...OP also said how great OG was.)

Edited to add original content back to post: I love Organic Gardening magazine. It has lots of tips for beginners! A subscription is fairly inexpensive, I think we paid around $20 for 2-3 years. You can also ask Canadiyank...she's a gardening expert! :) It is very satisfying to grow your own food!! Best wishes!

[SamsMama]

Have you read Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle? I just finished it and it really inspired me to start gardening. I've always done tomatoes, basil and pumpkins, but that's about it. I'm not sure where to start either.