new to the green thumb

[crazychick]

Hi all. I live in northeast ohio and was wondering when the best time to start gardening was. we have laid out some black plastic in the area where we will start the garden and it is only 4'x8' so space is small. what is easy to grow and when should I start a compost pile

[ms.shell]

imo, its never too early to start the compost, as it takes a while to "cook." but then, i am not sure how well it would break down overwinter where it is so cold...
i would think ohio you should just work on making compost and planning for spring...don't think you can grow much veggies in the ground where it freezes...
but that is such a small sized bed, if i were you i would be thinking of building some sort of shelter box for it with thick mil plastic or glass windows or something and try to grow salad greens at least. im not much help, really, as i garden in the deep south where it is much warmer and couldnt imagine living in ohio. lol
good luck, tho!

[JamieCatheryn]

Definitely time to compost asap. But it'll be a while til you can plant veggies.

Your last frost is May 24, so most plants go in the ground right after that. Carrots and peas get planted before that, soon as the dirt is workable and forsythia blooms. Tomatoes, peppers, and some herbs need to grow inside or at a greenhouse for 6 weeks first and then get planted after frosts are done, easiest to buy plants from a local producer at planting time. We've been gardening 2 years and our easiest things have been green beans, carrots, and cherry tomatoes. Squash can sometimes be easy but mine failed, worth a try though.

If you can where you are, trees and bushes could go in the ground late fall and fruit should give you great returns after a few years.