It looks great...Very very nice...

I agree, very nice! What part of IN are you in? I'm in the Northern part of the state and my summer squash isn't that big, yet!

I'm in Crown Point.

The link below the pics actually has alot more pics.

I've got 4 zucchini plants in that little space. I think that was a mistake.

Also, I planted 8 tomato plants in the back left box and I'm thinking spacing will also be an issue.

Where are you at Iheartroscoe?

I'm in North Central Indiana near Elkhart.

I'm also pretty new to vegetable gardening, but the tomatoes look fine to me. Maybe someone with more experience can comment on that. And the squash looked like it was producing! :)

I'm still trying to figure out spacing myself. I think I planted too little in my garden this year, though my watermelon is still filling out.

All of those pictures seem to show the garden in the shade.

Are you going to get enough sunlight for them?

Hamiltongardner - Nice job noticing that. I always take the pics at about 7-8 am. The boxes get approximately 9 hours of sun.

I originally had the garden going behind the garage. Last minute I checked how much sun it got. I was shocked to report only 4 hours of sun.

Well, it almost seems funny now, but I didn't even think of how much sun plants needed.

Trials and tribulations of a first year veggie gardener...

Wow! Impressive for your first garden. FYI - Hay is dried grass and can have many seeds in it. Straw is the shaft of wheat after it has been harvested and tends to have less grass seeds or none if itÂs really good straw. If you trellis those tomatoes, spacing might not be a problem. Home Depot sells 5Â x 15Â netting made for trellising vegetables. Get some tall stakes to affix the netting to. Rebar works great if you have a friend in the construction business. You can also prune tomatoes if you have a jungle by mid summer. Many people advise against pruning because it reduces yield and I would agree, but if you donÂt have space sometimes itÂs the only option. Hope your success continues throughout the season!

You have a great-looking backyard! Sunny and inviting. Very nice frames you made. The more sun, the better (for tomatoes) but many greens, such as kales, lettuces, ect., do well in partly sunny spots.

If I was in your shoes, I'd build additional frames in the sunniest areas.

Plus a compost receptacle (in the shade), like one of chicken wire rolled into a cylinder and fastened to a t-stake pounded into the ground. Cover w/a tarp, otherwise rain gets it too wet. When the pile needs turning, lift the cylinder up out of the way while you turn the stuff. When done, wrap the cylinder around the turned pile again. If wildlife gets into the pile, garbage cans with holes drilled through bottom and sides, with a tight-fitting lid, are great. My three cans heat up to between 100 and 130 degrees F.

Also, those fences in your yard are just calling out to be covered in vines, such as pole beans, lima beans, southern peas, and climbing cucumbers, melons, (and squash?). The vines would need support, like vertical strings, or something like Johnny's Trellinet/Hortinova with large openings so your hands can fit through the openings when tending and harvesting. That's what I use, and it's easy to install directly on the fence and is strong.

If you haven't already visited these forums, they'd be worth your time.

The tomato forum: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/tomato/
The soil forum: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/soil/
The beans/legumes forum: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/legumes/

Hortonova, Johnny's: http://www.johnnyseeds.com/catalog/product.aspx?scommand=search&search=hortonova&item=9716
More later....

Here is a link that might be useful: Johnny's Hortonova

Absolutely beautiful! I love seeing others' garden photos. I'm a first-year veg gardener too. Hubby built me 3 raised beds, but my plants aren't nearly as big as yours are yet. I can't wait!

Thanks for posting the great pics, and congrats on such a great garden!

Here is a link that might be useful: My new blog! Simplifying in Suburbia