and here's an outline of the plot

It would be helpful to know what kind of gardening you want to do- edible gardening, flower beds, herb garden.. all of it?

But my suggestions start out with utilize dwarf and small plants. I know that sounds like a duh answer, but there are a lot of smaller tomatoes and peppers to be had. Along your fence side I would do trellising and utilize climbers- like pole beans instead of bush beans, or vining cukes instead of bush. Even small melons and squash can be done on a trellis. For herbs, do perennials in containers for now, and try to keep your seed from your annuals and biennials.

If it was my garden, I'd probably put a collection of tubs, pots, etc along the house side, since they could be moved when needed and replaced there or elsewhere in the garden afterwards - perhaps on a patio, etc. The containers could be all one size and style or a mixture; formal or informal (found/repurposed, etc); modern and sleek or old-fashioned and cottagey, according to your taste. They could contain anything from edibles (herbs and smaller veggies as previously suggested, even a row of dwarf fruit trees) to flowers (romantic roses, perennials, brightly coloured annuals, etc) to evergreens like clipped bay, box, etc to lush tropicals, depending on your climate/zone and your preferences. I agree with beesneeds about climbers for the fence; either the veg suggested, or climbing roses (my preference is for antiques - go to the Antique Roses forum for ideas), or an evergreen climber with some scented flowers and/or fruit; again, it depends what's available in your climate and also how many hours of sun the fence would get. That applies for the house side, too, of course. An alternative would be to make a tunnel effect with an overhead structure for climbing deciduous vines, roses, etc .- if you don't mind shading the windows in summer, and growing shade-loving plants under it.

If you were to post the details of your climate, etc., it would be possible to make more specific suggestions.

Comtesse :¬)

If it were my garden, I would do as Comtesse, but would add a gravel base on the side of the house over which you would put your containers. It would keep the windows clear of muddy splashes when it rains, and would be relatively easy to manipulate at construction time. The edge of the gravel base could be 'wavy', creating a meandering path through this long and skinny area. On the fence side of the path, you could plant climbers and/or taller trees (be sure they can handle the shade of the fence) next to progressively smaller plants as they approach the meandering path. The point of going through the trouble of building a meandering path rather than a straight one is that it adds depth and interest to your area. You lose sight of the boudaries, making the space look much bigger than it is. If possible, I would choose dwarf trees with a canope shape nearer to the path to give it that 'secret garden' feeling :-)

Good luck-sounds like fun!!!

Julie-Aimee

thanks for your feedback! looking to do a vegetable garden in this part of the yard. so far i've planted lettuces and herbs on the house side; and started peas and beans (although started the beans too early and will probably need to replant) on the fence side. just picked up onions to plant too.

Remove the concrete, yes!

And make that fence into a trellis for vines, yes.

And who says dogs need grass? My dogs run around in 1,000 square feet of fallen leaves, pine needles, acorns, twigs, tree roots, and living underbrush. They love it. They chase bugs. They crawl under limbs. They gnaw on sticks and husks. They bark at birds. They bit the head off a small mammal. They drink from mud puddles. It's what dogs love to do. Turf grass lawns suck for dogs.