I would hold off on planting while we are in the midst of below-normal temperatures (there was frost this morning, daytime is not even getting to 50) and rainfall that is at a record March pace (5" thru the 19th)...

...unless you are in control of the water by using a greenhouse or cover system or containers.

I looked at the garbage potatoes and it could be a fun experiment, but there are so many unmentioned variables in those instructions, beware.

Like, what size of holes to drill in the garbage can? You are not going to get good drainage in that can unless you make so many large holes that you will need to put some screen in the bottom to keep the soil from leaking out. Plus you can't just set the can on a flat firm surface--that will block the drainage. The project requires almost daily attention just for the luxury of harvesting potatoes using gravity (turning the can upside-down).

Potatoes are successfully planted in flat, open ground all the time--that is where your french fries come from, after all. If you don't have the room, try the can. Most of the garbage-system instructions were fine, it's the container that's iffy. Famine is likely.

frost in portland soon? many areas haven't seen a frost since the feb cold spell.

i think there is a decent chance of no more frosts, great chance of no more hard frosts, so any cold weather crop is cool. i have pea shoots in, radishes, onions (overwintered), brussel sprouts (overwintered), broccoli, kale, mustard greens, fava beans. all growing fine.

I had observed frost, not predicted it. It is more a matter of waterlogged and imperfect soil conditions, likely for a newbie gardener. Any vegetable starts planted out in open Portland ground right now will only exist, not grow. Better to keep them in their store containers and wait a couple of weeks.

It is good that ihatepavelbure still wants to garden after the disappointing 2010 seasons.

A device like Ben's Potato Tower (Territorial seed catalog) would have better success than a modified garbage can. There are similar sheet materials intended for composting that would work also and are less expensive.

Pavel Bure retired from hockey in 2003.

Oregon State University has an excellent publication for new/beginning NW gardeners, with one page devoted to a chart with planting times. (On that chart, Portland will be in Region 2.)

Go to OSU Gardening Encyclopedia, then click the large graphic on the right labeled "Growing Your Own Food."
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/

You'll also find many other useful links on that page.

Here is a link that might be useful: OSU Gardening Encyclopedia

I planted snow peas (in Seattle) about two weeks ago, and they are coming up, so I think this is a good time for peas in this area. Around here days are in the low 50s, nights around 40. Also, I put clear plastic on top of the planting because of heavy rains, and to help warm the soil up a bit.

As for green onions, I started some inside a few weeks ago, and will transplant them out in late April maybe, perhaps sooner. I think you can try to grow them in the ground now, but they probably won't grow much. I have some green onions that overwintered, and they are only now starting to come back to life.

I did walk past some pea starts about 6-8" tall in SE Portland today. That gardener is know to be very experienced and has then in a deep mound of compost. I'm tempted to go down there with a ruler and see how much they grow this week, but they will grow eventually and make peas sooner than our pea seeds planted in April.

I keep thinking about these potatoes in garbage cans or towers and it seems the plants would be growing in shade for quite a while, as the container is not filled much at the initial planting.

Hey all, thanks for the many responses.

First things first, yes, Bure DID retire but he's still living on in my deepest darkest heart of hatred. :-)

Now on to the gardening. What I ended up doing was getting fabric bags specifically for growing potatoes from Portland Nursery. You roll the rims down initially so as to prevent the "growing in the shade" phenomenon that you mentioned above, Larry, and then unroll it as you mound. Has anyone used these? If not I'll update with how they do.

Regarding the waterlogged soil, I mixed in some new compost to the raised bed I'm using for some of the plants and that bed is largely shaded, anyway, so hopefully the soil is not so waterlogged, but we'll see. I ended up putting in the salad greens and garlic and green onions. We'll see how they do.

I am growing the peas in a container, black plastic buckets about 18" deep that I used for tomatoes last year (PLEASE tell me that tomatoes will do better this year...good lord that was a lot of rain and misery we got last June).

Also going to try growing bulb onions this year and I got "sets," but I have no idea what to do with these. Any advice would be welcome. I haven't put them in yet.

I had to get up early Saturday the 19th and there was frost in Portland. It was 31* and my car was covered with ice and so were the roads.

My soil is a soggy mess. Not good for planting.

For a guy who carries a sports grudge, ihatepavelbure seems to be doing pretty well in gardening and should be promoted from newbie to sophomore.

The fabric potato bag sounds much better. Similar to the old tires system but lighter weight.

It was chilly again this morning and now I can barely hear my typing over the rain on the roof.

I'm in Vancouver....yesterday I planted onion sets for the first time, I was told to put wood ash and then some fertilizer and then cover with dirt and then plant onion sets on top and cover those, we'll see what happens, I was told to plant spinach the same way, I'm going to try this in a couple days, I was also told not to put wood ash in with tomatoes as they would become leggy with very little tomatoes, with my husband being a woodworker I have ample access to the woodash. Wish me luck...last year was a terrible year for gardens in the northwest; hope this year is better for us all, the prices on fresh vegetables are climbing as we speak....Sue

Potatos can go in right now, no problem. Beginning vegetable gardeners in the NW might want to get a copy of 'Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades' by Steve Solomon (founder of Territorial Seed). It's a classic and goes into detail about planting each type of vegetable, timing, soil PH, amendments, etc.

I am surprised that more people in the Portland area have not planted yet. My peas are about 6 inches tall and the spinach is about 4 inches. Kale, lettuce, arugula and chard have all sprouted. "Greens" and peas are usually the safest items to plant early around here when temps are low and can take a light freeze.

I've not planted yet. There are so many things to get done this time of year that they all struggle to compete for the little time available outside.

Nor have we. We plant in open ground (improved with annual cover crops) rather than raised beds containing mostly compost. Just too wet to play outside.

* 24 consecutive days of rain--a March record
* rain 29 of first 30 days of March--a record
* broke downtown Portland record of 1904
* first 60-degree day of 2011 today, latest at PDX since records begin 1941
*4th wettest March ever
*7th consecutive above average rainfall month--a record
*numerous weather whining records broken

...likely why more Portlanders have not planted veggies yet. All this weather and the big plant sale at the Canby Fairgrounds is early this year, April 30!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>
* 24 consecutive days of rain--a March record
* rain 29 of first 30 days of March--a record
* broke downtown Portland record of 1904
* first 60-degree day of 2011 today, latest at PDX since records begin 1941
*4th wettest March ever
*7th consecutive above average rainfall month--a record
*numerous weather whining records broken
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Seriously. I think the birds gave up and went back north. They were starting to show up around the yard but I haven't seen them in over a week.

"Posted by larry_gene z8_Sunset6_OR (My Page) on Thu, Mar 31, 11 at 0:01

Nor have we. We plant in open ground (improved with annual cover crops) rather than raised beds containing mostly compost. Just too wet to play outside."

I do have one raised bed, a 4x4 I started last year as an experimental SFG.
I garden in the ground like most people I know.
I turn over the clover each year as soon as the ground pliable so that it can break down. You have to give good old fashioned Portland clay credit.
In twenty years I should be able to retire and garden when I want.
I take advantage of every weekend, rain or not to make ready for the coming season. I grew up here and it rains 9 months out of the year and floods every 10 or so. It is not so bad to get a little muddy.