Cultivating plants, people and communities since 1977
Who
Anyone with a sunny yard, deck or balcony, or even a window box! If you can grow a lawn, you can grow food.
What
There are plenty of easy-to-grow vegetables. See some recommendations from Master Gardeners below. Plant only what you like to eat. Be realistic. A 4'X4' garden bed could keep you in salad greens or squash all summer, but it is not enough room to grow corn or pumpkins.
Skagit County has a short growing season. Make sure to consider days to harvest (noted on the seed packet) when selecting what to plant. Also note the spacing recommended on the seed packet. If plants are too close together, they have to steal nutrients from each other.
Where
Do you have a spot that gets at least 6 hours of sun each day? Do you really need all that lawn? Consider converting part of your yard into a garden. Gardens and lawns require similar care. They both need good soil, sun and water. Vegetables just require a little more attention. Containers can make gardening very flexible. Also, plant some veggies in with your flowers.
When
In the Skagit Valley, May is magic. Depending on where you live, March gives us our last hard freeze and some vegetables can be planted/transplanted in March and April. However, frosts are typical in the area through early May. Most vegetables are sensitive to frost, so May is when you will really start gardening. Check out the Planting Guide extracted from the WSU Extension Bulletin on Home Vegetable Gardening in Washington, which is a great all-around veggie gardening guide.
Frost Dates (Data source WSU AgWeatherNet)
| Station | Avg Last Frost Date (Temp) | Avg First Frost Date (Temp) |
| Mount Vernon | March 24 (31°F) | October 30 (30°F) |
| Fir Island | March 8 (30°F) | October 29 (31°F) |
Consider winter gardening too. There are a number of vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, broccoli and kale that are planted in mid-summer and can be harvested throughout the winter.
Why
Supply your family with fresh, healthy vegetables throughout the season.
How
Start with a plan for your garden! Decide how much and what kind of space you will have. Do you want to plant directly into the ground, raised beds, or containers? Do you just want salad veggies in between flowers?
If you can, have your soil tested. There are a number of firms that provide soil testing for a reasonable price. There are two locations in Washington. Simply Soil Testing in Burlington and SoilTest Farm Consultants in Moses Lake. You’ll receive a printout of the results, which will make recommendations on basic soil nutrients, pH, etc., which will guide you in amending your soil. Another option - do your own soil test. Check out this video from WSU Soil Scientist, Dr. Craig Cogger on soil texture.
Keep your garden manageable. Raised beds can extend the season and protect from rabbits, snails, slugs. Use a cold frame, floating row covers, or tunnels to extend your growing season and protect from insects such as cabbage moths. The options are endless. If your space is small, consider vertical gardening for vining vegetables like cucumbers, pole beans, and some squashes.
In order to have salad greens all summer long, plant a few seeds every 2-3 weeks for an ongoing harvest. This is called succession planting.
Herbs
Herbs are easy to grow and attractive in beds or as potted plants. With our mild winters, many herbs are perennials (live more than one year). Even the ones that are not cold hardy will usually produce late into the fall. Rosemary and thyme, particularly, are typically available year-round. Basil (which is a warm weather herb), parsley, cilantro, tarragon and dill are easy to grow, as well. Consider planting a kitchen garden close to your kitchen—making it easy to harvest the herbs, salad greens that you need for a meal.
Small Fruits and Vines
If you have the room, there are plenty of berries, small fruits, and fruit trees that do well in the PNW. Check out the WSU Extension Bulletin on Growing Small Fruits in the Home Garden.
If you don't have extra space, try columnar apples or grow a grape vine on a pergola. Remember to plant flowers to attract pollinators for a better harvest.
There are many types of gardens. For limited space, you might want to try a container, raised bed, or vertical garden.
You might want to plant an organic garden, in which you use no synthetic fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides. You can extend the growing season by using a greenhouse, hoop houses, cold frames, and tunnels. Check out the Garden Construction section of Gardening in Washington State for more ideas.
Let the Skagit County Master Gardeners provide science based recommendations to solve your gardening problems.
Stop by and see us at Skagit County Farmers Markets for assistance with plants, trees, landscaping, and pests. We also have booths at public events such as the County Fair. Check the events calendar for a complete list of dates and times!
If NASA can grow vegetables in space then how hard can it be?
Read more about NASA's space garden. Even the astronauts use the "cut and come again" technique for harvesting the outer salad green leaves while the plants keep growing.
Before choosing vegetables for your garden, you want to make sure that your plant is appropriate for the Pacific Northwest. Our short summers make certain crops unrealistic for most gardeners. It is essential for the crop that you plant to have an opportunity to mature before the cool nights of fall arrive. Most seed packets provide a lot of important information. Some seed catalogues, such as Territorial and West Coast Seeds, include gardening guides.
Days to Harvest
Days to harvest is roughly how long after planting before you can expect ripe fruit. This can be a guide to distinguish varieties as early (65 days or less), mid-season (65 to 80 days) and late-season (80 days or more). For the Pacific Northwest, gardeners should mostly look at early varieties unless they have a greenhouse.
Planting
Carefully read the back of your seed packet for planting information (how deep to plant seeds, how far apart, when they can be planted, fertilization needs, water needs, etc.). Some vegetables (such as lettuce, carrots, radishes, kale) can/should be planted directly into the soil, but others (like tomatoes, peppers, and squash) need to be started indoors, or bought as seedlings.
