Congratulations for getting the kids involved. Yes you should definitely start from seeds, that way the kid could learn about science at the same time. You can start tomatoes and flowers seeds indoor now. All the vegetables you listed are great for beginner but donÂt forget to add some sun flowers for the birds and marigold to keep the bugs away and bring in the bees. The cheapest way to buy seeds is at Walmart, some started at .20 or at Paris Farmer Union, start at .99 . I brought my at Fedco Seeds http://www.fedcoseeds.com/. They have great selection of seeds and the price are very reasonable. Also checkout the following website: http://www.newenglandgardener.com/just-add-water/getting-an-early-start-on-the-garden-in-maine/ Happy Gardening!

Hi, Amanda as Paula and Dawn say, careful with the Round-Up. The label will tell you when it is safe to plant. Wow! What a great size flower bed. You will have plenty of room for a variety of flowers. Size, color and leaf texture should guide you as to what to plant. If you are wanting a structured, formal look, plant tall in the back of the bed, medium in the middle of the bed and short in the front of the bed. If you are wanting an English cottage garden look, plant at random your favorite flowers. I suggest you plant as many perennials (come back every year) as possible. The Whirling Butterflies, a perennial, (Gaura) should be planted toward the back, if taller variety. The Cockscomb, an annual (freezes out in Winter), Celosia, different varieties, should be planted toward the front. Iceplant toward the front. The bed is so wide, 15.5', you might begin by putting in a row of evergreen shrubs or, perhaps, dwarf Crape Myrtles, Weigela, Abelia, etc. , and then plant the flowers in descending heights toward the front of bed. The South side of the house will support such sun-loving perennials as Russian Sage (Perovskia), Daylilies (Hemerocallis), Gaura, Gayfeather (Liatris), Coneflowers (Echinacea), Tickseed, different varieties, (Coreopsis), Phlox, Salvia, Shasta Daisies, etc., etc. These plants would be easiest to startpurchased at the nursery. Annuals are easily started from seed. The best time to start shrubs and perennials is in the Fall or early Spring, when the heat and lack of rain won't be so damaging to new transplants. You can buy a plant book or look on tbe Internet for info on these and other plants. You might be able to find neighbors or relatives willing to share some of these plants by divisions from their old, established plants to avoid the expense at the nurseries. Good luck, and have fun! Jeanie

In all honesty, full sun is best for many veggies, especially in zone 5. Part sun varies from 2 hours or so to over 6 hours. For many heat-loving veggies, the more, the better. For things like tomatoes and peppers, you will want at least 6 hours of mid-day sun since early morning and evening sun are less intense since they are filtered by the atmosphere. Leafy greens are much more tolerant of a bit of shade, but I haven't ever tried growing in part shade, having always had full sun available. Hopefully others will weigh in. Choosing types bred for our shorter, cooler season is helpful, and the farther north from Boston you are, the shorter the season tends to be, especially further from the shore and at higher elevations. For instance in my location, just north of Concord, NH, I have found just two varieties of peppers that grow really well, one bell (Ace) and one mildly hot (Hungarian Wax). So I plant those every year since I know that they will deliver a great crop regardless of heat or cool temperatures. I may plant another type or two, but I don't count on them. I usually plant the shortest days to maturity type of cherry tomato I can find since then I will have some most years by mid-July. I don't know if you are planning to start from seed or buy plants. Leafy greens (lettuce, spinach, etc.) are best started from seed and planted in succession with a new row or two planted every couple of weeks since they tend to go to flowering and get bitter when they get older (called bolting.) I would suggest that if you will grow tomatoes (if you have enough sun) that you buy plants of a few different types to see which you like best and which do well in your location. Some general advice: If you get down to soil with the upcoming warm weather, now is the ideal time to send in a soil sample since you will get back the results sooner. I usually lightly mulch the ground between my rows or plants to reduce weeds, but I also keep a stirrup hoe out in the garden to remove weeds quickly before they get large. Be sure to have an available water source so you can water as needed.

This is all the shrub that grew back the last couple of years. I had it hand cut down as far I could, but keeps coming back. Right side of the yard. We still want to leave some there so we have privacy. The shrub had taken the yard over to the white stick. The family (kids of the lady) didn’t do anything in the 50 years she lived in the house. they let their mom live in this house where the windows where so broken they couldn’t be closed. They stayed open about 5 inches even in winter. To cover the issue the children (already in the 40’s we met them at closing) put plastic flowers in front of the window. I would be ashamed letting my mom live in such conditions. Anyways back to the yard ... here is my hubby taking such a crabby shrub out of the ground where I started my Hosta bed. Stones are for a patio we are going to lay this summer :-) Here is a shot of my “woodland” Hosta garden. (Not macht erfinderisch:-)