Gardening

I have been meaning to post about this year's Mayday parade since Sunday, but haven't even gotten my pictures off my camera yet. We've had lovely weather two of the last three days, so I have been outside in the evenings working in my yard and on my garden. Today I cleared away the grass from an area that's about 1.5' x 5', and is right up against the side of my house with full sun, southern exposure. The area I grew tomatoes and herbs in last summer is also on that side of the house, and I worked on widening it a little bit too. I am planning to plant 4-5 tomato plants and basil in that area. In addition to the area I cleared today, I am planning to clear around the corner to the back of my house (west facing, but it still gets a good dose of southern sun). Now I just need to decide what to plant in the area I'm clearing. Possibilities include lettuce, beans, snap peas and sugar snaps. I am planning to plant peppers in planters and put them in the part of the driveway that I do not use.

Working on my yard, I find myself thinking about where else I could pull out grass and expand my garden. I have been thinking about planting some raspberry bushes either against the garage or against one of the fencelines, but I know that they can get out of control pretty easily. Still, raspberries = tasty, and grass is not. I would also like to plant some winter squash or sugar pumpkins. Also chard, and beets. I probably need to focus on expanding my garden just a little bit at a time, rather than taking on too much at once though.