Very new to gardening--I would like some help choosing first veggies

[Jennsbirds]

Short of weeding, watering, and planting things for science class, I haven't done much gardening. I haven't truly done anything on my own, but I've been given a chance to start a raised bed veggie box of my own recently.

I want something easy to grow that will wind up on the dinner table later. I'm looking for something that will grow in the Bay Area of California easily (zone 9 I think). I'm willing to wait for the proper planting season.

Does anyone have any tips and/or suggestions?

 

[digitS']

Hi Jennsbirds !

I know that it can be challenging to grow some things in a cool marine climate. A lot of people seem to think that green beans are easy to grow. I guess I do to .

However, Mary and Marshall are both from your part of the world. Well, I guess I am too but I was a mere sprout when my family left the Monterey Bay area. Welcome to the forum and someone will have more ideas for you soon!

Steve

 

[Jennsbirds]

Hi Jennsbirds !

I know that it can be challenging to grow some things in a cool marine climate. A lot of people seem to think that green beans are easy to grow. I guess I do to .

However, Mary and Marshall are both from your part of the world. Well, I guess I am too but I was a mere sprout when my family left the Monterey Bay area. Welcome to the forum and someone will have more ideas for you soon!

Steve

Nice to meet you! I hope I can meet more people soon.

On the fence about beans, but still on the first suggestion. Do they need sticks or wire to climb?

 

[897tgigvib]

Howdy Jennsbirds!



Welcome to the easy garden forum. Make sure you remember your login stuff.

Are you in one of the foggy parts of the bay area? NinnyMary kind of is. I'm north of the GG bridge probably 100 raven flying miles at Lake Pillsbury, north part of Lake County.

I go to San Francisco once in awhile, and lived there back in '76. Still amazed at the things that grow there!

Don't worry too much about the chilly summer fogs. There are ways to overcome that.

One thing is to work with it instead of struggling against it. Peas love that weather. Lettuce, broccoli, Beets, Spinach, and a lot of the Oriental Greens do too.

Well, I should find out which microclimate you are in before babbling on more.

 

[digitS']

Jenn', you can grow quite a combination of things if you wanted to start with beans.

Bush beans don't take up much room and can grow side-by-side with a number of other veggies. I have put them around the outside of a bed and driven stakes around the perimeter every 6' or so. That way, I can run 1 piece of twine to keep them from falling out in the pathway. That outside row takes up very little room that way and the remainder of the bed can be planted to something else.

Pole beans need a trellis of some sort to climb on. A simple 3-legged or 4-legged teepee works fine for them. Or, they can have a fence along the northside of the bed. Because most of their growth is vertical, they also use up very little room.

Then, there is something called a 3 Sisters Garden. You have to be careful about allowing your beans to grow onto and push down another sister - corn. You can give the corn a couple weeks headstart, then plant the beans. It has worked fairly well for me to still provide the pole beans with something like poles (of course ) to climb on, in and amongst the corn. The 3rd sister is squash. A vining squash can stay low and fill in below the corn and beans.

Steve

edited to add: now someone can tell me that beans, corn & squash aren't going to have enough sun and warmth where you are gardening . . . i don't know.

 

[canesisters]

Hi Jennsbirds and welcome to the garden.

I'm on the other side of the country from you in Virginia. Can't wait to hear about your experiences in gardening - it's an adventure!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Welcome to the forum! Glad you joined us!

What types of vegetables do you like? I'm not from that area but I'd think you have several options. I agree NinnyMary and Marshall are the best ones I can think of that should know your area and it's limitations or possibilities.

Do you happen to know your growing zone? Marshall, do you have a good link for Jenn to determine that?

It's hard to think of a green leafy vegetable that shouldn't grow there; chard, kale, lettuce, mesclun, spinach. I think cabbage, broccili, cauliflower, carrots, beets, maybe even potatoes should be on your radar. Radishes are one of the easiest and quickest things you can grow. All these are cooler weather crops and I think you can start any of them now.

It's probably best to start kind of small but as long as you have an area that gets sunlight, even sunlight filtered through fog, you can grow veggies.

Good luck and once again

 

[897tgigvib]

Ridge, Jennsbirds thinks it's zone 9. I know, that sounds almost like tropical to some folks. But it's a coastal zone 9.

What makes the difference on the parts of the bay area is so e parts get less cooling fog in summer than others. Yes, it can and does frost anywhere around there, but there are some protected areas or on the south sides of buildings that the long cool fall season may not end until Chrustmas, and others, like on the hills around Tamalpais where everything works to end the season earlier.

The Bay Area is a large area in all. Several of those eastern states could fit in it. For those who don't know, the land lays as coastal, the north and south lands come together as a pincer at a point called the golden gate, where water pours out into the usually very cold pacific ocean. Inside this gate is a vast widening that eventually and rapidly becomes a northern and a southern part of the large bay. Approximately inward from the gate is Oakland, Richmond, and Alameda. South of the gate is San Francisco, approximately square and 49 square miles in size. North of the gate is a very lush park like and large area, especially the area nearer the coast. Inward is a town called Sausalito. This particular part of the world is surely one of the most beautiful places on our planet. Just north of the golden gate.

Most folks pass by this driving on highway 101, aware that it is beautiful out there, but hardly ever taking the turns available or hidden to go up and west.

To say breathtaking is to say the truth.

 

[ninnymary]

Hi Jennsbirds and welcome to TEG! Where exactly do you live? I live in Alameda. You can grow quite a bit of things here year round. There is a book called "Golden Gate Gardening" by Pam Pierce. It is our bible for gardening. We are in zone 17 in the Sunset book. That is another great book. Right now I have lettuce, swiss chard, kale, onions, garlic, nappa cabbage, brussel sprouts, cilantro, potatoes, strawberries, and beets growing. My pear and plum trees are blooming. My apple and asian pears are budding. My rasberries and blueberries are starting to leaf.

I do volunteer work for Kassenhoff growers. She sells beautiful veggies plants at the Temescal and Grand Lake farmers markets. Some tomatoe plants will be available this weekend.

Send me a pm if you would like some more info.

Mary

 

[Jennsbirds]

Thanks so much for the suggestions, guys! So far, I'm thinking chick peas, onions, and herbs for pickling.