momee Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 (edited) We have tons of space, it's the sun that is limited here on our property. We are on less than one acre in a subdivision. So, what should we start with? Keep in mind, the sunny spot is in the front yard :( Also please share if you have any thoughts on how can I make a garden space that will fit in with my flower gardens without looking Ma and Pa Kettle-ish? Edited May 9, 2011 by momee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggie Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Herbs are usually pretty. I'd grow spinach because we eat a lot of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginevra Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Tomatoes, Cilantro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missiemick Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Definitely tomatoes, then herbs, lettuce, summer squash, green beans. It doesn't have to look like a garden, even in your front yard as it's very easy to incorporate these plants with other more decorative plants. I also saw something on the internet about growing potatoes in a barrel -- that would be fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herbalgirl Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 How about some peppers, too? Bell peppers are stinkin' expensive at the stores now! The plants don't get very tall and unwieldy, either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Asparagus. Tomatoes. Zuchinnin and squash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Herbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 I grow strawberries and sunflowers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSNative Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 I'd look at books or sites on potagers. Beautiful gardens that include food in them. One of my favorite homes has a gorgeous potager in the front yard. They are growing lots of herbs - rosemary and lavender are the easy ones to spot. They also have squash of some type, peppers, tomatoes and lots of lettuce/spinach. You'd be amazed how beautiful and productive a front yard garden could be. Ours isn't as pretty - yet. ;) We've got our main garden beds in back. In the front I have 4 grape vines, lots of herbs, a baby watermelon patch and a few pepper plants. The herbs are used instead of bedding plants. The watermelon sits behind some taller plants. The peppers and grapes are along the fence line. Lots of other traditional flowers and plants mixed in so it doesn't scream garden. Oh, forgot about some blueberry bushes off to one side, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 My criteria are: minimal effort during the season, able to be stored, we don't let it go to waste. My top three are tomatoes, butternut squash, and spinach. Tomatoes are also easy to can so if you grow a lot they can last you a while. Butternut squash lasts until January in my garage and doesn't need attention during the year (once the vines start to get ratty harvest the squash and be done, it will ripen some as it sits). Spinach is small, easy and if you jam a freezer pint bag full and stick it in the freezer that is equivalent to the purchased 10 ounce bricks from the grocery (I add a layer into meatloaf). If you want a perennial, you might consider rhubarb - big leaves, pretty stalks freezes easily. You can snip off the flower heads if you don't like them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Tomatoes, definitely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Look at what you love, cost, amount of pesticides in store-bought, sun-neediness. I have a yard in the same situation. I ended up picking things like tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, broccoli, lettuce, snow peas. Beans grow okay in the shade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofkhm Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 We have tons of space, it's the sun that is limited here on our property. We are on less than one acre in a subdivision.So, what should we start with? Keep in mind, the sunny spot is in the front yard :( Also please share if you have any thoughts on how can I make a garden space that will fit in with my flower gardens without looking Ma and Pa Kettle-ish? I would do tomatoes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoforjoy Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 I'd probably go with lettuce, because it's super easy to grow, and it's something we use a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mejane Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Tomatoes, green beans, and eggplants. We grew tons of eggplants last summer and ate them grilled. Oh, they were so good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wabi Sabi Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 I go with what you can easily use or preserve without going to waste and what offers the most bang for your buck as far as saving money. For us it's tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matilda Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 You can grow lettuce, peas, some herbs and sometimes strawberries in full shade. Tomatoes, peppers, and squash will need quite a bit of sun. Probably at the very least, 4 hours. Also, be careful with herbs, because depending on your climate, they can be weeds. I've had problems with chives and cilantro taking over my yard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 I'd probably go with lettuce, because it's super easy to grow, and it's something we use a lot. Same here. We use lettuce (or greens of some sort) every day year-round, so growing our own is a big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 In the very limited sunny areas of my beds I grow peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, basil, parsley, thyme, and I actually have oregano growing in shade. I also have garlic chives gone wild, lavender, and some other things sprinkled around.... I'm getting ready to experiment with lettuce this year, too.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lune Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 I love this book: http://www.amazon.com/Edible-Front-Yard-Grow-More-Beautiful/dp/1604691999/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1304978543&sr=8-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Try your library for Rosalind Creasy's books. They have some great examples of food gardens suitable for front yards. 'The Edible Flower Garden' would be a good one. Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellers Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 We are on 20 acres but if I had very limited space I would plant: Early Girl Tomatoes Lemon Cucumbers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Herbs. They love sunshine, they are forgiving, they tend to be attractive, they are very expensive fresh or dried, you can preserve them very easily. Warning: Do not put mint into the ground. It's very invasive. Pots only. Rosemary and lavendar are perennial evergreens. Tarragon comes back every year. Basil and many others need to be started fresh annually. Second: Edible flowers. Again, expensive. Do better in sun, look pretty. Nastursiums and borage come to mind. Third: Tomatoes, just because they are so good, although they get big and don't look very nice. Or maybe some dwarf fruit trees that like sun, such as citrus (Meyer lemons are great because they hold on the tree for so long. Likewise navel oranges of various kinds.), avocado, or persimmon (get the ones shaped like little pumpkins, and they will not need to be dead soft to be eaten). Then in the backyard, plant your peas, salad greens (and reds!), broccoli, artichokes, asparagus, fennel, arugula, green beans. All of these will do well in the shade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Peppers, they're expensive ($2.99 for 1 red pepper!) and if you let them rippen they're very pretty, also Roma Tomatos for sauce/canning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpidarkomama Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 We are just finishing redoing part of our front yard (w/our own sweat!) on our 1/4 suburban acre. We also have the best light in front. We have intermingled vegetables and flowers (great for confusing and repelling pests!!). It looks beautiful!! We built an herb spiral (you can google) out of urbanite (we sledgehammered a section of driveway we had to remove). You can also usually get free urbanite from your local recycling center. It looks like rock if you have the broken part visible, rather than the smooth part. We built a pretty raised bed closer to the street, and have plans to add two more. Paths go out of the herb spiral to delineate 4 beds in the 4 corners around the spiral. We have 300+ square feet now (phase 1!), plus another 200 square feet for tilapia tanks (for growing our own fish to eat). Anyway... it's very possible to make a vegetable garden that has more the appearance of an English country garden. The rest of the yard (grass) we're going to cover in newspaper, dirt (moved from elsewhere in the yard), and compost (free from the city), and plant with vetch. We'll keep it in vetch until we're ready to transform that too... Anyway, my 2 cents about front-yard veggie gardens. Re. what to plant, definitely tomatoes, eggplant, and cucumbers. And anything else that is ridiculously expensive at the store. We recently moved to a new city in the South and the produce is TERRIBLE. A great motivator for growing our own stuff! :) All the best! -Kerith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caitlinsmom Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Tomatoes, peppers, and asparagus. Those are the 3 most expensive things in my local grocery store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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