6 zucchini will require a lot of space - they tend to ramble. My vegetable guide says they can't be trained up a fence, but I have never tried it. I plant 3 per hill, 3 feet apart and they take a LOT of space as they grow. The 3 produce all the zuchinni I can use and even my neighbors get tired of the abundant "gifts."

I am not familiar with the tomatoe types you bought, but there are probably as many "best ways" to grow tomatoes as there are gardeners. I pinch off most, but not all, of the suckers that grow between the stems, to keep the plant from growing wildly. I cage all of mine because I think the yield is higher in cages than if I stake them.

Regardless of the planting methods you use, just enjoy the experience.

Welcome to the world of veggies!

Never have much luck with zucchini. Always get taken by borers. (Blueridge - what kind do you grow? Mine usually seem to be a bush type rather than a rambler...but that may be because they die too soon.)

I can generally get close to a couple of dozen peppers off of one plant.

I cage my tomatoes, but I usually just grow a couple of romas and a few better boys. I generally pinch them in the beginning to make them bushier, but once they reach the top of the cage, I just let them tumble and go where they want. They're in a 4x8 raised bed. Tip here - toss a handful of lime in the hole when you plant them. It will help to prevent blossom end rot. Also, if you want more plants, don't go buy them. Just cut off a branch, stick it in a jar of water and in about a week you'll have roots and you can't plant it.

whoopsy....that was supposed to say "and you CAN plant it."

jmzms - I plant Cashflow Hybrid from Henry Fields - they are pretty disease resistant. I confess tho, that sometimes I just pick up a 4 pack at the local nursery because I don't need the extra seeds (or that's the only veggie I would have room for) and I don't like to waste seeds.

So are Squash Vine Borers and Squash bugs a real problem in this area? I'm also new to growing Squash in GA. Should I be putting up row covers? My zucchini is just sprouting up now.

I grew Sweet 100 the last couple of years in a 5 foot tall cages and the plants grew to the top. Lots of deliciously sweet cherry-size tomatoes.

Move tomatoes and peppers to a different location each year to reduce disease. You can plant in the same spot every fourth or fifth year for best results.

For cages I use the 5' wide roll of reinforcing mesh that they use for concrete driveways. It is heavy wire in about 5 inch grids.

I decided to try some of the German Queen heirloom tomatoes this year. My neighbor gave me some Amish heirloom seedlings, too. I've been growing mostly the big boy or better boy in past years.

Here is a link that might be useful: German Queen

so I keep getting blooms on my zucchini but then no zucchini, they just drop the blossoms. I think there is a name for this, but what do I do about it?

Try this link

http://ces.ca.uky.edu/woodford/horticulture/newsletter/2005/h080505.htm

Kathy, try sprinkling a tablespoon of epsom salts around the base of each zucchini plant. Make sure you're watering deeply and consistently. With 6 plants, you will soon wish for the premature death of plants (just kidding). You will certainly have more zucchini than you ever hoped for. I had 3 plants this year. Tossed all 3 last weekend due to vine borers. I picked 2 - 3 zucchini a day and the plants were just getting started. I'm replanting now, but this time, just one plant for my family of 4 and neighbors.

Susancol, now is a good time to cover your plants. Check for borer eggs first. If no sign, cover and hand pollinate.

I planted some Sweet 100s this yr and they are about 8' tall. I built a tressel for my tomatoes but the Sweet 100s have out grown it.I have started to pinch off the tops to keep them growing any taller.