Hands down, the answer in this climate is garlic. Grab a head of organic garlic from wherever in October, separate it into cloves. Shove each clove about an inch into the ground, pointy side up, 3 inches between each clove. Wait until next July. Harvest one head for each clove you planted. If you're the fertilizing kind, you can fertilize them once a month between March and, oh, late May.

The climate here is perfect for garlic. It rains when they want rain, and dries out when they want it dry. And the initial clove supplies abundant energy to grow on. Just make sure it hasn't been sprayed with a chemical to discourage it from sprouting (which is why I said to start with an organic head).

This is the perfect time to start planning your vegetable garden. For lots of helpful information, check out the “Gardening Fact Sheets” available on-line at www.kingcountymg.org. Also, from the same Web site, check out “Gardening in Western Washington.” Some useful books include “The Maritime Northwest Gardening Guide” (Seattle Tilth) and “Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades” (Steve Solomon).

Also, don’t forget to check out some of the local plant sales for more advice and great veggie starts—
May 7 and 8:
Seattle Tilth: Great organic edibles AND
King County Master Gardeners: Famous for our tomato starts!

My favorite vegetable to grow? Green beans. There’s nothing better.
Happy Gardening and Enjoy!

Zucchini. You practically can't stop zucchini. 1 plant will give you more zucchini than you know what to do with. They do take a lot of space though.

For whatever you grow, make your life easier. The next time you cut the grass, save the clippings and spread them around the plants, anywhere from a half inch to an inch thick. Without the sun hitting the dirt, you won't get nearly as many weeds. At the end of the summer just turn over the grass and the dirt and you'll have a nice mulch by next year.

Zucchini.

yes to the leafy greens, especially arugula! It grows like a weed. If the flavor is too strong for you raw, it's much milder when cooked.

Not vegetables as such, but most herbs are easy to grow (except basil--needs heat). Try mint, parsley, cilantro, fennel, rosemary, thyme, sage, lavender. Bonus: many are perennial, and after you plant them you don't have to do anything but water and prune once in awhile.

Alpine strawberries are easy too. They fruit year after year and do ok in shade. Start with plants if you can find them. The seeds are tricky to sprout.

Garlic, shallots, chives, and parsley are all easy here. Lettuces are easy in the spring, fall and winter. Anyone can grow radishes and salad turnips (white Japanese hakurei type). Also snap peas are super easy, just give them something to climb and lots of sun, and get them in the ground ASAP. I've grown loads of pickling cucumbers easily every year.

Try growing potatoes. They are really easy, and you can really abuse the hell out of them and still get a decent crop. They're also pretty and fun to dig! You can use all kinds of recyclable containers to grow them in. I've used plastic bins, old cardboard boxes (just compost at the end of the season!), grain sacks, and old tires. Just remember to mound them as they grow and keep them watered in the Summer. And sift well at the end. I found a purple spud from last year's crop when I was prepping this year's soil. So I just replanted it. :)

Spinach does well, and I'm big on a red spinach-like amaranth called Ruby Orach. Grew almost 5' tall before it bolted last year and loves growing with peas. Just pick off leaves as it grows.

I've had really, really bad luck with chiles. So-so luck with most brassicas (cabbages, bok choi, broccoli, etc.) but it seems like kales, mustard greens and chards are impossible to kill here. Kales and chards in the Fall and Winter, Purple Mustard Greens in the Spring. Red Russian Kale is an unstoppable growing machine.

Zucchinis can work great but watch out for powdery mildew.

Tomatoes can be fussy depending on our weather, but some of the determinate varieties can grow in pots and do fairly well. Less tomaters off of them though. Early varieties tend to do best if we have a cool Summer or early Fall. Either plant early and use a cloche or a cold frame to keep the temp up and the moisture down (a pain if you're just starting out) or wait and pick up a couple of really big, really healthy plants at the Farmer's Market in May. Good soil and water the hell out of them once or twice a week depending on the weather.

As mentioned elsewhere, check out 'Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades' and the 'Maritime Northwest Garden Guide'. Both are great.