I decided to try growing some vegetables this year, and have learned a lot. Next year, I'll know what to try growing (and what not to).

This soil is very clay like; it's at the bottom of a valley near a creek, so there seems to be a lot clay type sediment from eons of erosion.

Lettuce was the real winner. This was grown from seed. I learned you get edible produce quickly. I don't want a ton of food ripening all at once, so this was a big plus.

The varieties of lettuce make for more interesting gardening.

This cauliflower plant looks like some critter has been eating it.

So far, cucumber and zucchini looks like it's doing OK, but it's too early to tell if they will produce good sized produce.

I tried planting carrot from seeds, and almost none sprouted. So, I tried starting a few plants indoors and had better luck. But only a few have weathered the really hard rains we've been getting. Also, spinach plants, transplanted from containers, all withered away.

So for next year, I thinking planting lots more lettuce is a good idea. And if the zucchini and cukes produce, a few of them.

I also have learned it's a really good idea to start plants indoors and transplant them. The little 72 cell "greenhouse kits" for starting seeds are really easy to use. If you buy a brand like Burpee at a nursery, they are about 20 dollars. But you can find more generic brand ones for about 8 dollars at places like Kmart. A lot more plants seem to make it that way. And buying plants that are all ready started is expensive, but ensures that at least something grows.