PORTLAND, Ore. - Sarah Gilbert admits she has become a little addicted.

After beginning her garden two years ago, she's now expanding from the back yard to the front.

That’s partly because of her kids.

“You would be amazed how much more they're willing to eat a vegetable if it has come out of our own garden,” Gilbert said.

But money is also a factor.

“Most weeks in the summer, I'm spending $50 or $75 just on produce,” she said. “It would be a crazy week for me to spend $25 in the garden.”

Gilbert is part of a growing trend.

"Business has been really busy,” said Rose Marie Nichols McGee, who owns Oregon's oldest family seed company in Albany.

The company has been flooded with orders from around the country. A lot of this year's customers are folks who have never gardened, part of a lost generation.

She says $20 to $30 in seeds planted in a 10-foot by 20-foot garden will yield $600 worth of food.

And what are they buying?  Very forgiving greens like lettuce, kale and bok choy.

So how do you get started?

• Start small. You don’t have to dig up the whole yard
• Grow what you like to eat
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help – either from your seed store or your local cooperative extension agent.
• The first step in planting is to pick a good location. Most vegetables like it warm and sunny – ideally eight hours of sunlight in the summer.
• If you have hard clay soil, you’ll want to add composted food scraps or bagged compost at least a foot down.
• If you don’t have a yard, you can still use hanging tomato plants or put pots on your deck.

Should you plant from seed or buy starters and transplant? That depends.

Beets, carrots, corn, greens, peas, radishes and spinach do well from seed. Bok choy, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, kale, lettuce, peppers, squashes and tomatoes do better transplanted.

The following are links mentioned in the story:

OSU Extension Service/Growing Your Own

Master Gardener Hotline

WSU Extension Service

Urban Farm School

Books: "Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades" by Steve Solomon; "Maritime Northwest Garden Guide"