@sandy @Thank you for congratulating me on my ACE status and asking me about gardening, one of my loves! I am glad you are going to give it a try. You can go as big or small as you want. You can start by saving your fruit & vegetable peels and put them in a drywall bucket or dig a hole in the ground for compost. When you turn over the soil you can churn these in. You can plant tomatoes in dry wall buckets, with cages to keep them upright, to put on a deck or porch. You can plant beans along a fence (we use mesh and stakes) and they’ll grow up the fencing. We’ve had great luck with Beefsteak tomatoes, as well as little cherry ones. My grandfather always planted marigolds around them, to keep the bugs away; and we do the same. We plant yellow and green (zucchini) squash in spread out mounds, as they travel; cucumbers too. In rows we do peppers (any color) and lettuce varieties. We’ve done pumpkins and ornamental gourds over the years. I also save a little corner for a ‘kitchen garden’, where I put herbs like basil, dill and peppermint. Ours is rectangle in shape, with a fence around to keep the critters out. We haven’t had good luck with corn. I remember reading somewhere that you need quite a few rows for it to take. I have used the stalks for decoration though. Lastly, I can’t forget the row of sunflowers and/or other flowers for cutting as the last row. Have fun...there is no right or wrong! Keep me posted on your progress. We don’t plant here until Memorial Day Weekend, but it sounds like you’ll be planting sooner in your area. Your safe once the frosty nights cease. Take care!
