I'm no expert when it comes to zones. But I do consider myself the queen of square foot gardening. You might be surprised by how much produce I can pack into a small space. I did look at a zonal map for the Toronto area, and you are most likely in zone 6 (which is comparable to zone 5 in the U.S. If you have just had what you hope will be your last frost, it is time to get the peas planted NOW. If they are bush peas, they won't need any support, but if they are vining peas, they will need support and they will absolutely be your tallest crop.

Peas are vigorous and quick growing, so you can go ahead and plant seeds. And the carrots should also be planted as seeds. But I think your growing season is short enough that you would do better to buy established tomato plants to ensure an earlier harvest. Tomato plants can easily reach 5" tall or more. You can also buy squash plants, but they are also vigorous and speedy growers, so you should be fine with seeds. Besides, more than half the fun for children is seeing the seeds sprout (at least that has been the case in my experience).

And squash are more horizontal than vertical. From short to tall, I would say plant the carrots in front, next the peas (if not vining), then the squash, and then the tomatoes. If the peas are the vining type, I would put them at the back. The tomatoes might shade them, but that is fine, because peas like cooler temperatures.

Check the tomatoes to see if they are determinate or indeterminate. If determinate, they will ripen mostly at the same time and then you're done. If they are indeterminate, you will have fewer ripe tomatoes on the plants at one time, but they will produce, most likely, right up until the end of the season. And, by the way, I do grow tomatoes in my raised beds, but I always have a few in pots, too. You can do herbs in pots, but if your kids like tomatoes, I think that would be a better choice.

As for beans, again, just like the peas, some are vining and others are bush. If they are bush beans, they will be about 18" Â 24" tall. For vining beans, I've had them reach about 8' tall. Very quick to sprout, so start from seed.

That is a lot to think about growing in your small space. But you should be able to get a nice crop of beans from just a couple of plants. And always plant 2 or 3 seeds when you want only one plant. Some seeds may not come up, but if they do, you can (and should) thin to just one plant.

Looking forward to seeing your photos.

Excellent information, Donna! Thank you! :)

Okay, I'll do tomatoes in the pots - I'll find different spots at the edge of the yard for herbs. I'll buy tomato plants, but do everything else from seed. How far apart should I plant the different veggies from each other?

I'm excited to start!

Shouldn't be too late to start. If you start with small plants for some stuff, you'll probably have better luck with the size of the veggie, since they've already gotten a head start. Tomatoes do great in large pots and do well with starts. I had really good luck with peas in large pots too. I did snap peas...just make sure you have something for them to climb. Lettuce grew easily for me and didn't take up much space at all. Lettuce and peas both do well with seeds and grow really fast. Herbs grow really well in pots also, and don't take up much space in the ground.

Squash takes up TONS of space...I had a really hard time getting squash to grow last year, I think I may have started too late. I also live in the Northwest so none of this may be applicable to you!

Good luck!

Tomatoes and squash - I'd give them about 3 feet between plants. Vining beans and peas I plant 2" apart (remember, they grow mostly up, not out). Bush peas and beans I plant about 12" apart. I sprinkle carrot seeds along a furrow quite close together (remember, not all of them will sprout) and later thin them to about 2" apart.

Most herbs can be planted about 18" between plants.

And check your seed packets for how deep to plant the seeds. As a rule, the smaller the seed the closer to the surface you plant. And some seeds shouldn't even be covered with soil (none of the ones you're planting - just saying...).

And don't pay any attention to the seed packet when it says how far apart to plant the rows. That really only pertains to gardens where you will need to walk between the rows. If you plant something that requires 3 feet between it and the next plant, then that is all the space it needs in front and behind it as well. But, if you're planting more than one row of carrots, you plant the second row only 2" from the first row. Got it?

I just realized that I made a mistake in my first post. Tomato plants can easily reach 5 FEET, not inches.

Pick up a copy of Canadian Gardening if it is still publishend. Not sure of the zone, but here in ND, just below the border, we don't plant much before June as we are still having about freezing weather at night. Do you have any gardening places near you? Here Walmart sells lots of stuff. There are also some great books written by a woman(from Canada) that is very pratical. Can't remember her name, but she is well know and I have seen the books at Barnes and Noble. I can't advise you to come to the states and get stuff, because not sure of regulations at the border. The other thing is look for a local gardening club. You can also find lots of information on line. If you have garage sale, look for gardening magazines. I have raised apples and roses from Canada because of the temps. Good luck

Give them packages of seeds for lettuce and radishes. They grow fast and the children will get great satisfaction from having a "Salad Garden." It's how I got interested in gardening 50 years ago. Good luck and have fun!

My mom had 4 helpers in our Illinois garden. We planted green onions and radishes, I remember, and so she got us eating salads better. Dad had his tomato plants, and they were sooooooo juicy! And there were other things planted, but I just don't remember what.

I kind of like this idea from the Mother Earth News magazine. If your space is limited and soil needs work, this sounds like a good idea:

Here is a link that might be useful: Mother Earth News Bag Gardening

Nicole,
Raddishes are a must. They come up in only 1 week. Plant a short row every week and you will have some throughout the season. When the first short row is done you can replant that row.

When I use to garden, I only did small amounts of each variety. I bought seed pkts and used the same pkts for several years. They were stored in the house, so they didn't freeze.

For green beans I highly-recomend planting pole beans. Buy a 2"X2" by 8 foot pole to let them climb on. Have DH pound it into the ground about 2 1/2 to 3 feet. Before putting it into the ground, have the kids pound medium nails into one side about every 8 to 10 inches. This keeps the beans from slipping down the pole. When it is in the ground, you can plant 4 - 5 beans around the pole about 4" from the pole. This way your beans take very little space. I like Kentucky Wonder pole beans, and you will get enough for your whole family to enjoy those yummy fresh picked beans till frost.

When choosing tomatoe plants look at the tags and choose the smaller size tomatoes because they will be ready to pick sooner. I really prefer cherry tomatoes.

Be sure you put some flowers in there too. Marigolds around the outside MIGHT keep out rabbits and they are a pretty border.

Mark each place with the name of the seed planted so the kids can learn to recognize the right plants from the weeds. Don't forget to weed, if you don't let them get out of control you will really enjoy the garden.

Have fun and I hope we get to see pictures.

FWIW, my sister planted some things in pots, the little cherry tomatoes and peppers as I recall and they did real well. When things might freeze, she just took them in at night. And if you're interested in sweet corn or something you can jump start them inside too. As a school project I grew corn from seed inside in a small container and once it got up a few inches I transplanted it outside. I still remember doing that. It was kind of fun. However corn takes quite a bit of room and unless planned right could shade the rest of your garden.

I too am a radish nut. I've been thinking of some planter boxes for radishes, green onions and the like. But maybe next year. :)

Wow what great advice you gotten. Garden Web has forums for Canada.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Web