How to begin? Plant what you like to eat. What you need:

• A sunny spot: Either where you will plant in the ground, or a place to put a container. You can use any container so long as it has a drainage hole (plants do not like soggy roots). To plant in the ground, remove whatever is growing there, whether grass or weeds. You can plant in the bare soil around a bush, shrub, or small tree if the shade is not dense.
• Soil: For root growth plants need water, air, minerals, and organic material. Mashed down, compacted soil will not work very well.  Eighty percent of the soil in King County is sandy loam which is the basis you need. You can use commercial potting soil in your container or you can use good garden soil.
• Compost: Be careful—compost should have been applied last fall. In the spring, a little goes a long way.
• Fertilizer: Add an organic fertilizer (a little to start and a little more as time moves on). Use one that includes the minerals listed as N,P,K. Put it near the plant, not on it.
• Caution: It is best to stay with organic products. Forty years ago when you helped with a garden, recommendations were all about chemicals and there were few effective natural products. There are many organic and safe products available now—safe for the user, safe for plants you intend to eat. Read labels. Choose wisely. Some plant nurseries carry their own brands, but all have some organic products.
• Water: You will need to water the soil. If you are container gardening, water until it runs out through the drainage hole. In the garden, be generous. It is better to water deeply and less often. How often? Remember that plants take up the water with their roots and so use it from the bottom up. Feel the soil about an inch below the surface. If it is wet, do not water. If it is a little damp, water. If it is dry, water right now.
• What to plant: May is ideal planting time for almost everything: beans, carrots, radishes, sweet peppers, cucumbers, summer squash, tomatoes and salad greens (lettuces, parsley, spinach, kale).
• How to plant: The seed package will tell you how deep to plant. Small fine seeds are hard to control. Put them in a saltshaker or mix them with a little dry sand and sprinkle them into their row. Expect to thin the rows as they grow; thinnings are fine added to soup or salad.

In kindergarten we all planted Mother’s Day marigolds in eggshells—this is just a little more advanced.