Well its nice to see somebody else that jumped right in with both feet like I did last year. It was a lot of work and I swore that this year I'd be smarter and cut back some this year. But somehow it actually wound up bigger. I have one plot that is 30'x 40'(tomato's) another that is 24'x 40' (peppers(hot,sweet and bell),green beans,zucchini,lettuce, cabbage,Swiss chard,spinach,onions and okra)12'x20' my watermelon patch 3 at 10'x12' one each for corn, cantaloupe Gurney's giant and sweet potatoes and 5 raised beds 3' x 10', 3 for trellised cucumbers 1 for trellised sugar baby watermelon and one for trellised lil sweet cantaloupe and also a 3' x 24' section outside my fence for Athena cantaloupe to grow up my fence there also. I got in touch with a tree service and got a load of wood chips. I'm using it for mulch that I put down around my tomato okra and corn plants (before I ran out). I put it down 3 to 4 inches thick to help hold the water and also hopefully to cut down on weeding. Plus after the garden is done I'll till it under which will be good for the soil. Also after last year I got leaves from some of my neighbors and piled it in the garden (as my yard is somewhat hilly it helped avoid erosion) and tilled it in this spring again helping with the soil. Also get a soil test done so you can find out what the soil needs to get the ph balanced right (make sure you let the know its for veggies). I am going to try mulching some of the other stuff with hay straw again for water retention and hopefully to avoiding weeding as much as I can. If your gonna have many tomato plants 15 or more I'd say try making your own from either livestock fencing or get some (I forget what its called)but you can find it at Lowes or Homedepot in the building supplies section around the concrete its like the livestock fencing but thicker. Also if your gonna hand water like I do find something that will let you water the roots gently without bending. If you have a lot of plants that can be a back breaker. I'm sure I am missing a lot but thats what I have learned so far...........GOOD LUCK

I know Morning Glories are invasive in many places, but they might be nice on that fence with morning sun. Or maybe a clematis? You could put up twine for them to climb on. Oh, what about Hyacinth Beans, or sweet peas? Do you prefer annuals or perennials? Are you hoping for all flowers, or are you a vegetable gardener, too? You could hang planters from the fence to give you some color at a different height. Coleus are nice in less sunny spots, and provide color all season. Buying them as plants can be expensive. Pansies are easy and colorful for early season, and they reseed generously. I've had Black-eyed Susans, other rudbeckias, and Purple Coneflowers do well in less than full sun. And the birds and butterflies are attracted to them. Hope these ideas at least get your mind moving. I wish I had as much sun as you. My flowering plant options are a bit limited by shade. Good luck. Martha

The University of Florida site has lots of great information, and try your county's Cooperative Extension website, too! Couple things you'll probably find are quite different here than the Pacific Northwest: FULL SUN: Anything that says it needs "full sun" does NOT mean Central-Florida-in-the-middle-of-July full sun. Almost nothing edible can really take that heat with no problems, except maybe okra. So if you could arrange your garden so there's some partial, dappled shade, that'd probably serve you well in the long run. NEMATODES: We have sandy soil that root-knot nematodes just adore, so prepare to deal with the little devils. About the only organic thing I've heard of that might slow them down is cover-cropping with French dwarf marigolds, and that I've heard mixed reviews on. Lots of people here say it's best to grow tomatoes & peppers in pots to avoid the nematodes; and some people bury the pots in the ground to keep the roots cool (search pot-in-pot method, or "buried pots" in the forums, you'll see lots of advice there) WATERING RESTRICTIONS: You probably don't see much of those in the rainy Pacific Northwest, but we tend to have a lot of them here, and your plants will be broiling in a few months. If you could set yourself up with some rain-collection barrels, you'd probably be glad you did. I've been told that some cities and counties will even give you one for FREE, but I'm not sure. Good luck with it! Post us some pics when you get rolling, and meantime, welcome to the Sunshine State!

We own a 12 acre woods and a cabin in the MN/Canada border country within almost 4 million acres of state and federal Superior National Forest. I just had it logged for aspen and some spruce for saw logs. I am in the process of further clearing an area to accommodate 6 raised beds. I don't care if it ends up being 1/2 or an acre, or 2 if I end up wanting to do more with my gardens. I wouldn't mind hiring someone with a bulldozer to push out roots and stumps, but have decided to use raised beds with heavy mulching, as well as annual trimming and brushing to establish and maintain my garden opening. Don't hesitate for a minute to do what you want with your land. I couldn't agree more with susanzone5. The bio-diversity provided by logging, clearing, and especially the creation of edges within forests is highly beneficial to a number of species of plants, insects and animals.