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Palatino Garden Adventures
Start Here
Three posts that explain how I think about kitchen gardens
How I Learned to Grow Food
In Germany, where I grew up, gardening was a school subject. We learned how to grow food every year, right alongside math and reading. When I moved to Seattle, I realized most people never learned this basic skill. That's the reason I started Palatino Garden Adventures.
Your PNW Spring Planting Guide: What to Grow (and When) from March Through June
I've written a lot about when to plant and when to wait. This is the hands-on companion: a month-by-month guide to what actually goes into the ground from March through June in Seattle, Zone 8 to 9a. Specific crops, real timing, and lessons from getting it wrong more than once. Plus a link to the PNW Crop Planner Pro for 40+ crops with live planting timelines.
3 Decisions That Make or Break Your Kitchen Garden
Most kitchen gardens don't fail from neglect. They fail because three decisions got made wrong before anything was planted. Not which seeds to buy or how often to water, but the decisions that determine whether your garden actually fits your kitchen, your schedule, and your climate. Get those right and everything else gets easier. Get them wrong and no amount of effort makes up for it. Here's what they are and how to get them right in the Pacific Northwest.
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The Best Week of the Year for Growing Tomatoes in the Pacific Northwest
ate May is when tomatoes finally go outside in the Pacific Northwest. A practical guide to planting them for a real harvest, plus why to grow elderberry, slug control, a watering note, and what is happening at the garden in June.
8 hours ago11 min read
Mid-May in the Pacific Northwest Kitchen Garden: What to Plant, What to Fertilize, and What to Watch For
Mid-May is the real opening of the PNW kitchen garden season. A practical guide to what goes in now, how to feed a mixed berry bed, what to do about slugs, and how to read a fruit tree that looks rough.
May 128 min read
My medicinal garden in spring (and what's already feeding the medicine cabinet)
People think a medicinal garden is a summer thing. Big calendula blooms in July, lavender drying in August. The truth is it runs all year. Right now in April my calendula is in full bloom, the mint and lemon balm are ready to cut, and the bergamot is sending up new leaves. Here is what I am already harvesting from my Seattle medicinal garden, what is still waking up, and the one plant I am putting in the ground this week for a summer root harvest: Ashwagandha.
Apr 138 min read
Determinate vs. Indeterminate Potatoes: Why Hilling Might Be Wasting Your Time
I have been hilling every potato I have ever grown, and it turns out half of them did not need it. Here is what I learned about determinate vs. indeterminate varieties and what it means for your PNW garden.
Apr 74 min read
3 Decisions That Make or Break Your Kitchen Garden
Most kitchen gardens don't fail from neglect. They fail because three decisions got made wrong before anything was planted. Not which seeds to buy or how often to water, but the decisions that determine whether your garden actually fits your kitchen, your schedule, and your climate. Get those right and everything else gets easier. Get them wrong and no amount of effort makes up for it. Here's what they are and how to get them right in the Pacific Northwest.
Mar 164 min read
Want more like this? Clear the Noise is my newsletter on cutting through overwhelm with systems thinking and smarter defaults.
Ready to grow with intention this season? Join the Seasonal Planners Circle — a community for Pacific Northwest gardeners who want to plan smarter, harvest more, and never miss a planting window.
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