I'm a new gardener as well. This Fall will be our second year so I'm sure others can offer much better advice than I can but, I think you might be a little too late to start your Tomatoes and Peppers. You may have to resort to store-bought starts then get some seedlings started next Spring. Also, I would swap out the Scallop Squash in the Trellis area and put the leafy veggies there like the Collards and Lettuces. Leafy veggies like to be planted next to legumes because of the nitrogen in the soil.

Good luck! It's such a learning experience but SO rewarding!

My advice to you is to be prepared to be disappointed. Square foot never worked for me. Sounds good but is impractical.

Imho opinion, most plants require a little more elbow space and breathing room.

You can wait a little and plant strawberries and potatoes. Two of my favorites!

SeedsnSprouts: Thanks for the insight. I may actually hold off on the Scallop Squash as I'm afraid I may have an over abundance of Squash. LOL. I will have to move over some of the greens it is actually a really good location for lettuce & greens. I think I'm looking most forward to the learning experiences.

Sumala: Thanks for the encouragement... hopefully it was a personal issue rather than a completely flawed gardening technique. I'll let you know how it turns out for me.

Tinael: Yum I'm actually really looking forward to Sweet Potatoes some of my favorites!

Here is the before pictures of the prepped gardens. More pictures to come in a few weeks.
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I wish you nothing but the best of luck and applaud your ambition. Most of all, don't get discouraged if it doesn't work at first. Good things will happen as you learn from experience.

I use my own sustem of sfg and have had good success and bad due to my over jealous attempts to plant too early or late but somehow I tend to make things work and if they don't I try one more time before giving up and creating something else new and different. I have more veggies in pots this year but things will be different in the spring when I install a few cement block raised beds. I even grow trailing plants and herbs in the holes in the blocks. I have tried this system before and it works. I am getting to the age where things have to be higher off the ground. Awwwwwh the joys of having body parts wear out. Good luck and heep a journal of how things go an what you may have planted too soon or too late. Practice does make perfect expect for this one fudge recipe that has to have something wrond in the amounts because it never sets so I am determined to make it work this year. If you don't at first suceed then try try again until you get too blind and old to try. Happy gardening, Linda

Linkda thanks for your insight. I have been trying to keep a good record so I know what I need to change for next year.

As a fairly rookie gardener, I also have been learning by trial and error - and it's really been a fun experience. Your garden looks like it's well laid out - good luck with the season!

If you're looking for stuff to fill up the extra bed, I notice that you don't have sage, dill, or rosemary. Obviously you want to grow what you'll use, but those are pretty commonly used, and it might be nice to have them handy. All have grown well for me in 10B (Miami). I've found that I usually need more parsley and cilantro for any given recipe than is available from a single square, so I like to double them up.

Mint can be pretty invasive, so you might consider moving it to one of your corner squares, where it may be a little easier to control.

Again, good luck!

Alan

I received some good advice in the following thread on when to start things here in SWFL. Good luck!
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/flgard/msg0815463120153.html

Hi Jyearout

Your plan sounds ambitious and complicated. Here is my advice.

Try to put plants together with the same needs
Herbs would be better in containers or by themselves in different spots in the garden, they live longer than fast paced vegetables

Different herbs in containers on the east side of the garden where I also have basil and rosemary in the ground

Go according to the planting calendar for vegetables.
Tomatoes are always put in containers in my garden because of nematodes and other diseases, need to be sprayed.

Flowers are put in borders when I use them
Make a note of the size of the crops when mature and give them room
I plant usually one bed of greens, other of carrots, or summer squash or beans

Bush beans in 1 bed

When I was asked in the community gardens about planting tomatoes and lettuce and flowers, I told them it is not going to work in the same spot, they are better off planting the tomatoes in 1 bed and the rest of the things they want in the other beds and going according to what can be planted now, when the crop produce they will have to rotate and put something different.

Try to visit local and successful veggie gardens in the area if you can. I wish you the best of luck with your new garden!

Silvia

Sorry to butt in here...

Sylvia - what is your spacing on your bush beans?

Chrissy

Chrissy - I plant them very close because not all of them germinate, once they come up I space them about 6 inches every way. Also any plant that don't look good gets thrown out, this way I minimize any disease problem.

Silvia

The beds look good but how do you plan on accessing everything ? you will need to walk close enough to cut and pull and work around the plants and it looks kind of close and tight in there.... anything more than 4 feet wide you can't reach in.... I had my beds 4 X 8 and could walk all around and reach in to the middle.... just a thought.... sally