Overwhelmed with options

[MamaHawk]

Hi everyone,

I have pretty much a blank slate to work with, and I'm overwhelmed. I want to do it right the first time, so I don't have to undo anything or endanger plant A by having it shaded by plant B, and whatnot. I need to accept that there will be failures (I already killed a rose by leaving it potted through the winter, I'm pretty sure ), but the pressure is still there.

Here's what I have so far:
We have a narrow corner-lot backyard, and the stretch I'm aiming to use runs east-west, from behind our house/between our neighbor's house, out into the "front" yard (let's call it Yard W). Yard W has a wide old ornamental tree - dogwood? - and a GIGANTIC oak or maple (can't forget which at the moment, not currently important), but they're both off to the side enough the shadows should stay out of the "garden strip" so to speak. The other "front" yard of our corner lot (let's call it Yard E) "could" be used for gardening, but between the house and tree shade, it's not as prime real estate unless I used the bit that slopes to the sidewalk. Even then, it's pretty close to the street and the sidewalk, so it's not my preference unless it was solely flowers.

It being on a corner lot, the whole area is quite visible, so I feel even more pressure to make it look nice. That could change if we put up a fence, but that would also change the amount of sun in the area, which makes me feel like I'd be starting from square one if we DID put up a fence.

Anyway, I want to grow (probably too many) crops as well as ornamental flowers, maybe even vines. I'm mostly taken in by some square foot gardening methodology along with vertical garden methodology because of how small our yard is. I want to leave plenty of room for kids to play and rampage without being mad they tromped all over my attempts, which is another reason I'm so hesitant to begin. Otherwise, here's what I (in an ideal world!) want to grow:

• Summer squash
• Green zucchini
• Maybe one tomato plant
• Green peppers
• Cucumbers
• Green/snap/bush/pole beans (whatever you call 'em, so long as they climb)
• Sugar snap peas
• Lettuce
• Carrots
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Potatoes (maybe)
• Garlic
• Herbs - basil, parsley, lemon balm, unsure about more yet, have to look at what I use most often. Mainly I just want the bug repellent herbs....
• Mints - chocolate mint, spearmint, mainly, but I NEED those in containers
• FLOWERS:
• Morning glories (cautiously)
• Roses (any sorts I can work with)
• Sunflowers
• Nasturtium
• Forget-me-nots
• Marigolds (good for decor AND bugs)
• Vines (Mexican Flame, maybe wisteria)
• Someday, peach, pear, and apple trees, but we'll see

My brain is going in circles! I need to just make some solid calls and have something to begin. So here I am! At least listing out my thoughts is a good start, right?
(P.S. I'm going to cross post to Dave's Garden forum, in case anybody wonders what's up with duplicate posts)

 

[Donatello]

Start Small. In your case , very small. It is so easy to plant WAY too much!

I'd say plant in the A bed , Two tomato plants, two summer squash, onions need to be mounded up then as they bulb out, uncover down to the bulb. Cucumbers must climb and MUST be picked DAILY. if not , they will be bitter. This much will take a lot of your time, but will be worth it. Weeding, cultivating, picking and many other cares will take your time. you will stand over this and wring your hands until you get your harvest, then it becomes all good, I'm just trying to prepare you. Good Luck !!

 

[Oliver Buckle]

You could make a plan of the garden area, then cut out the 'plants' you want to grow, shapes of the ground area they would cover, in cardboard. Then you can try them out, move them around, rearrange them. That's how my dad would have done it.
I would start clearing the ground , and as I did it think 'I could put carrots in there along the front'.
Veg can look good mixed in with flowers, things like carrots and purple sprouting broccoli can provide a bit of green in different shades right through the winter, and taste good.

 

[Mr_Yan]

This is your first year in that house? Few words of caution - SLOW DOWN.

A veg garden and kids mix well but raised bed sides really help define it and are easy boundary markers for the kids.

Question:
Where is easy for you to go or where do you pass everyday in the yard? Does that area have a lot of sun?

That is where the veg garden should go. Put it right along the path from your door to your car so you see it and touch it every time you're out. Put it right outside the window you're around the most and see it multiple times a day. If you need to go out of your way to get to the garden it will get neglected and ignored which is a very common root cause for failures.

Question:
How much of that veg list is standard in your grocery list? (Or would be if snap peas weren't $5 a pound)

 

[NewLeafTX]

Having personally grown a garden where several active young kids were playing, I very much agree with Mr_Yan that having a raised bed with sides that are at least 12" tall "really helps define it and are easy boundary markers for the kids." That would be ideal, in areas where kid activity is frequent.

In areas where kid traffic is lower, the sides of your bed may be lower (like square foot garden, or absent).

I also agree that it's best to only grow the veggies that you are pretty sure your family will actually eat often, and I advise you to grow things that are expensive at the store, or low quality/ poor flavor from the store, personally. Because if a veg is cheap, good quality, and yummy from the local store, not worth my time & space to grow it.

Examples of what I don't grow: Bulb Onions, potatoes, orange carrots, beets, and cabbages are all cheap and excellent quality at my local store, so I don't bother growing them in my garden.

Examples of what produce I do like to grow:
Nasturtium- Beautiful, edible, and said to help repel rodents and other pests due to its strong smell.
Organic salad greens & lettuces (too expensive at my store, considering these are not hard to grow)
Organic rainbow chard (same comment as above)
Organic cooking greens (turnip, collard etc)--
Too expensive at my store
Herbs, especially basils & dill. (same comment as above). Dill also is a beneficial insect magnet.
Organic green onions (same comment as above).
Cucumbers (tend to be poor quality, or too costly, at my local grocers)
Purple, yellow, red, & white carrots (or a mix of these). Orange carrots are cheap at the store, so I grow the fun other colors instead.
Snow peas/ mangetout peas. Too expensive at my local grocer, and pretty easy to grow.
Tomatoes (poor flavor at my local grocer). However, I don't have enough sunny spots to grow them anymore, due to my trees growing a lot over the past 7 years.

Just a word of caution: Mexican Flame vine is toxic to cats, dogs, and horses. All parts of this plant are mildly toxic if ingested and the sap may cause contact dermatitis to those with sensitive skin.

Hope this info is helpful.

 

[MamaHawk]

Start Small. In your case , very small. It is so easy to plant WAY too much!

I'd say plant in the A bed , Two tomato plants, two summer squash, onions need to be mounded up then as they bulb out, uncover down to the bulb. Cucumbers must climb and MUST be picked DAILY. if not , they will be bitter. This much will take a lot of your time, but will be worth it. Weeding, cultivating, picking and many other cares will take your time. you will stand over this and wring your hands until you get your harvest, then it becomes all good, I'm just trying to prepare you. Good Luck !!

You're right, I'll definitely get in over my head...but I'm so dang excited it's hard to know what to cut from the list! Probably the stuff that it's too late to plant, honestly. Good to know about the cukes though! Thank you!

You could make a plan of the garden area, then cut out the 'plants' you want to grow, shapes of the ground area they would cover, in cardboard. Then you can try them out, move them around, rearrange them. That's how my dad would have done it.
I would start clearing the ground , and as I did it think 'I could put carrots in there along the front'.
Veg can look good mixed in with flowers, things like carrots and purple sprouting broccoli can provide a bit of green in different shades right through the winter, and taste good.

The modeling is a GREAT idea! I do want to plan a bit for the winter, I'll have to think ahead.

This is your first year in that house? Few words of caution - SLOW DOWN.

A veg garden and kids mix well but raised bed sides really help define it and are easy boundary markers for the kids.

Question:
Where is easy for you to go or where do you pass everyday in the yard? Does that area have a lot of sun?

That is where the veg garden should go. Put it right along the path from your door to your car so you see it and touch it every time you're out. Put it right outside the window you're around the most and see it multiple times a day. If you need to go out of your way to get to the garden it will get neglected and ignored which is a very common root cause for failures.

Question:
How much of that veg list is standard in your grocery list? (Or would be if snap peas weren't $5 a pound)

Answer 1: The front yard may be better for passing every day, but given how much my daughter likes being outdoors, I wouldn't be shocked to be in the back yard more. Either way, both sides get sun, but the back definitely has more.

Answer 2: All of them are veggies we'd eat (hence the lack of beets, for example). I do need to price them out compared to local prices, though.

Having personally grown a garden where several active young kids were playing, I very much agree with Mr_Yan that having a raised bed with sides that are at least 12" tall "really helps define it and are easy boundary markers for the kids." That would be ideal, in areas where kid activity is frequent.

In areas where kid traffic is lower, the sides of your bed may be lower (like square foot garden, or absent).

I also agree that it's best to only grow the veggies that you are pretty sure your family will actually eat often, and I advise you to grow things that are expensive at the store, or low quality/ poor flavor from the store, personally. Because if a veg is cheap, good quality, and yummy from the local store, not worth my time & space to grow it.

Examples of what I don't grow: Bulb Onions, potatoes, orange carrots, beets, and cabbages are all cheap and excellent quality at my local store, so I don't bother growing them in my garden.

Examples of what produce I do like to grow:
Nasturtium- Beautiful, edible, and said to help repel rodents and other pests due to its strong smell.
Organic salad greens & lettuces (too expensive at my store, considering these are not hard to grow)
Organic rainbow chard (same comment as above)
Organic cooking greens (turnip, collard etc)--
Too expensive at my store
Herbs, especially basils & dill. (same comment as above). Dill also is a beneficial insect magnet.
Organic green onions (same comment as above).
Cucumbers (tend to be poor quality, or too costly, at my local grocers)
Purple, yellow, red, & white carrots (or a mix of these). Orange carrots are cheap at the store, so I grow the fun other colors instead.
Snow peas/ mangetout peas. Too expensive at my local grocer, and pretty easy to grow.
Tomatoes (poor flavor at my local grocer). However, I don't have enough sunny spots to grow them anymore, due to my trees growing a lot over the past 7 years.

Just a word of caution: Mexican Flame vine is toxic to cats, dogs, and horses. All parts of this plant are mildly toxic if ingested and the sap may cause contact dermatitis to those with sensitive skin.

Hope this info is helpful.

SUPER helpful! Like I said above, I should price out the veggies accordingly. I also need to figure out which plants I'm growing why - looks, eats, or repellant reasons - to make sure they're all "necessary" compared to the plants I should learn about next year or the year after. I'm trying to slow down, I'm trying!