In the early years, I tilled my garden every winter with a borrowed gas powered
rear tined tiller from a neighbor. Now, I till my garden about every other year.
Usually, I'll do the tilling mid to late February, but sometimes it can be March
before I can start on the garden. I go down and back, down and back, and then
across and back. Within a day or two, I rake the garden flat.

After about a week after tilling, I begin preparing my rows. (I learned several
years ago that it works much better to create short rows rather than long rows.)
The way I prepare my rows will usually create three to five wheelbarrow loads of
great garden dirt to spread onto any weak spots in my yard.

My garden is currently 14 feet X 56 feet. It is bordered by landscape timbers to
help keep out grass runners from the backyard centipede grass. The landscape
timbers also give the garden a distinct look. The garden used to be eight feet
longer on each end. The two end sections are now flower beds, each with a rooted
crepe myrtle, sego palm, and a confederate rose bush.

Instead of piling up dirt to make raised beds for my rows, I dig down for my
walkways. Mostly, I use a regular shovel, a square shovel, and a steel rake. Since
the landscape timbers are eight feet long, I make the rows four feet apart. It's
easier to line up my rows. When I dig the walkways I make the walking area the
width of my steel rake tines. I move the dirt with my square shovel and shape the
rows at the same time. I use my steel rake to level my rows and tamp down the
top of the rows.

I pace myself and work a couple of hours per day. Usually, I do about three rows a
day, then quit. It'll take me about three days to complete the digging of my rows.

I use reusable steel garden posts and tomato cages. I actually borrow my
neighbor's ladder and his heavy duty mallet to set my steel posts. The tallest
posts are set three posts to a row, one foot inside the end edges and one post in
the very middle of a row.

I set six of the tallest tomato cages per row for my tomatoes for six tomato plants
per row (plants about two feet apart).

The smaller steel posts and smaller cages are used where I'll plant pepper plants.
If you look closely, you'll see electric fence wires. I run electric fence wires
through the cages and steel posts to provide extra reinforcement for almost all of
my plants as they grow and begin to get top-heavy. The two cucumber rows each
get three steel posts with about eight threaded electric fence wires.

Electric fence wire can be bought in a roll that usually lasts me about three to five
seasons. It can be used in whatever customized way that suits your needs.

You can see the rows shaping up as easy access rows for maintenance and for
picking vegetables later.

Look at the top of my tomato rows and you'll see green heavy duty wire added.
As the tomato plants grow I get them to drape over the top so that tomato plants
won't be hanging wildly in the walkways.

Also, you can see a raised white PVC pipe with sprinkler. This sprinkler sprays at
180 degrees. It is tied in to my lawn sprinkler system, and watering can be done
automatically by timer or watering can be done manually.

Six tomato plants are planted in a row.
There's plenty of room for roots to grow and spread.

The landscape timber border defines the garden space, yet ties the garden into
the overall landscape scheme.

I take the centipede grass clippings after each yard mowing and I'll spread the
grass clippings into the garden. The grass clippings are the only mulch I use in the
garden and the clippings provide nitrogen for the garden.

Since tomato plants are two feet apart, some years I'll plant something like onions
between the tomato plants.

With the garden being separated from the lawn by landscape timbers, I can walk
right up to the garden and have easy access to all of the plants. Taking only 3-4
steps, I'm at the middle of any row.

Because the rows are four feet apart, the rows are not crowded. Plant stems
and vegetables are not easily disturbed when I walk into the garden.

The tomato picking season begins with my Early Girl tomatoes, then Romas, then
Better Boys.

Roma tomatoes have always done well. I get lots of Romas!

The garden is a joy in the July heat of middle GEORGIA.

Tomato growing season is in full swing in July.

What's been growing? Lots of tomatoes (Early Girl, Better Boy, and Romas),
cucumbers (Clemson spineless), peppers (Bell, Jalapeno, Cayenne),
squash (crooked neck), eggplant.

I've had tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant grow on into November.

If you spread out the tasks, then the hardest work won't be overwhelming. If you
create a similar vegetable garden, you won't have near as much to do later during
the heat of summer, except to pick and gather your vegetables. Weeding is
 minimal.

I've grown or tried to grow the following through the years (besides what I usually
grow nowadays) ...okra, corn, bush beans, peas, carrots, radishes, potatoes, and
strawberries.

After my first soil test fifteen years ago, I had to add some lime to the garden.
That was the only time. A couple of years ago, the county extension service's soil
test results showed I didn't need to add any soil amendments. The only things
that need to be added each year are water and centipede grass clippings from my
yard.

Growing a vegetable garden that is an extension of your yard takes commitment.
Sure, there is a time commitment. More importantly, it takes a commitment of the
soul. I garden because it is what I enjoy. Like I said, it is a part of who I am.

Happy gardening!