I started off with organic gardening, but I have poor sandy soil and
spent a lot of
money on fertilizers and amendments. Now I believe gardening shouldn't be complicated or hard work. So I mainly use compost only.
Recently I started the idea of "back to eden" gardening which means
mulching with straws, leaves, 'natural' woodchips or rice hulls, as a
result I never or rarely
water except for transplanted seedlings and weeds are no longer a
problem. (just don't till the woodchips into the soil or plant in it)

For seeds starting, I germinate the tomatoes in seed trays, 2-3 weeks I move
the tomatoes into the red plastic cups, then 2-3 weeks later into the
soil. I use
seed trays with the largest cells possible since it allows more root
developments and less transplanting to avoid stressing the plants.

I'm not
sure if 4-6hrs of direct sun is enough to get a great harvest of beefsteak
tomatoes, but I think is possible to get something decent if your soil is healthy. I like straw
mulch because it reflects light and I believe this give the plants
some extra lights absorption.

A lot of people here will dismiss companion planting. I don't do companion planting, but I do believe in diversity. Therefor I have onion, chives, ginger or other aromatic plants in the same raised bed with the tomatoes. But I believe it's the mulching that helped most with my pests issues so far.

Yeah, 4-6 hours is pretty much the minimum for veggie gardens, However, don't let that put you off, just adjust your expectations and you'll do fine.

As far as different methods and equipment... think of them as tools in a box. Every gardener had different talents, financial ability, access to products and materials, conditions, etc... etc... As you learn about something new, it goes in the box. You might use it often, you may never use it at all. It's just a matter of the proper tool for you, at the proper time. Try not to get overwhelmed.

The main thing is to learn about your conditions, and the crops you wish to grow. Starting small, then expanding in area and diversity with experience gives the best chance of long-term success. 'Small' is a bit subjective, but in general, just don't bite off more than you can chew.

Just as an example, if you have lots of finances, you can hire someone to do it all for you lol. But, if finances are an issue, you could easily spend a small fortune, get a poor harvest, then quit and find you threw away a lot of money.

So, start with what you can do yourself. If you want to grow tomatoes, will you do it from seed? If so, a small shop light is a good investment, but for your fist year, it's unnecessary. Instead, just go to a store and buy a few plants. If you do it early in the year, put the plant in a sunny window, and root some cuttings. By the time the weather is warm enough to plant out, you could have turned one plant into 4 or 5. Then you won't have to buy as many.

If you have good success, then buy a shop light next year and since a focus of this particular forum is about heirlooms, start your own saved seeds (another thing to learn about) from scratch. Then again, you don't have to do anything special at all. A lot of long-time gardeners still buy starts and never mess with starting their own seeds. It just depends on your access to resources and your personal goals.

The peas and corn should be started right in the soil at the appropriate times. Whatever else you try is completely up to you, but remember, learning about a plant and its needs can be a little time consuming, I wouldn't diversify too much the first year, you can always expand as you discover what works for you in your conditions.

Another example is soil preparation... turning a bed using hand tools is not for those without drive, and how difficult or easy depends on your soil. Further, not only will you need to learn about plants, but you will undoubtedly be needing to learn about soil types, fertilizers, and amendments. Not to mention pests, pest control, weeds and weed control... Lots to learn! If you have access to a tiller, that is another option. A borrowed tiller is often better than one you buy for yourself (again... access to resources.)

So, start small, expand your knowledge and tools as you go. Just like building a house, start with a basic foundation and build as you go. Adding things gradually will help you not to invest in things that wind up not working anyway.

I'll stop there... I suppose any one of us could write a book, but 1000's of them have already been written. Keep responding with your goals, interests, and experiences here and the continuing conversation will be helpful. Also, there are other forums that are watched more often.

To sum up my rambling comment, in all aspects of area, conditions, diversity, finances, and knowledge... start within reason and modesty and you're most likely to do well.

Plant your corn where it won't shade the rest of your garden. I would forget the seed tapes,etc. Corn and peas do fine sowing directing in the ground.

Just a few ramblings to add to (or reiterate) what others have already suggested:

• Peas (and 'pole beans') can climb your 6' fence. That might be a good place for those. Peas are sown directly, and can be sown a couple weeks before last frost.

• Corn grows tall and can shade other things behind it. Put in two (or more) rows of corn (at least two rows) along the northern end of your plot so the shadows are away from your other crops. Corn is sown directly after last frost. If you want corn over a longer time frame, sow with wide spacing, wait two weeks, and go back an sow between the seedlings. You can do this several times so you'll have fresh corn developing all through late summer/fall.

• Check your smaller local nurseries for plants. Another good source is your weekly farmers' market (It looks like the one in Boise starts April 2).

• For tomatoes, try a few different varieties. Look for 'heirloom varieties' if you want to save seeds for next year. Also, look for plants early, and buy starter plants with some well developed "suckers" (the small branches that branch off the main stem at the leaf nodes. You can cut those suckers off when they are 6 to 8 inches tall (or more), bury them in a pot or large plastic cup (with drainage holes cut/punched in the bottom) with only the top few inches above the soil, and they will grow into more plants. Someone mentioned this above, and said they get 4 or 5 plants from every starter plant they buy. My experience is similar. Look for plants with suckers that can be cloned.

• Borage is an excellent companion for tomatoes. So are cilantro/corriander, and garlic. I plant borage all the way around my tomato bed, and a few borage plants interspersed with the tomatoes. I used to have problems with hornworms eating my tomato plants. Since I started growing borage, no more hornworms.

• Squash and/or cucumbers are good, too. Plan for a mound or two of those. Plant some nasturtiums with those. Nasturtium blooms are a wonderful addition to salads, and the greens are edible as well. And the Nasturtiums will repel squash/cucumber bugs to some extent. Radishes around the squash plants will help repel squash vine borers (which also bore into cucumber and pumpkin vines). Direct sow squash, cukes, and the companions after last frost.

• I usually plant a fast germinating variety of lettuce or radish at the ends of each row I direct sow. I'll mix some in the middle of the row every few feet as well. The lettuce will be fully done and eaten in 6 or 7 weeks, well before tomatoes or cabbage or broccoli will be maturing, but it helps mark the row so when you weed and mulch in the early spring, you don't disturb your ungerminated seeds and young seedlings.

You guys have all given me so much information that I'm very happy its here to re read!

A few more details/updates... I've decided to move my garden area outside my fence area to a space that gets much more sun. I think this will help in may ways! I was thinking of planting the corn a few feet from my wood fence (running north/south) so it wont shade the others. My kids are insisting on carrots now so that will have to be added. My plan is a walking path in the middle that I'll lay carpet or wood on so the weeds won't be there and plant around in a few rows. On the south side of this space I have a 4' chain link fence that I'll use for the cucs, tomatoes and peas to climb. I think I'll be separating some plants as suggested above.

With direct sow will I have pretty decent results or should I germinate and start them inside? I'd rather be able to plant seeds and baby them but if my yield and chances of success are MUCH better another way I'm willing to put the work in!

I enjoy weeding the beds and have the time to do it so thats no big deal to me.

The typical rule in Idaho is not to plant outside until the snow is off the ski hill so I've got some time to figure all this out thank goodness!

Off topic and I can take it to a different board if suggested but does anyone know what I can do to save my cherries!? I have a big hybrid cherry tree (18-20' tall) that gets worms immediately. The cherries are delicious but 90% of them have a protein snack in them. Systemic, spray anything?? My Asian pear tree in the back yard doesn't have such a problem, maybe 20% and they seem to be a different type of bug.

Thank you all so much for your willingness to teach! If you have any specific questions ask away. I can get pictures if needed as well

"My kids are insisting on carrots now so that will have to be added."

Carrots are easy. That's one that I always mix a few lettuce or radish seeds in each row to mark out the row. Carrot seedlings are tiny, with really thin leaves, and easy to overlook or mistake for weeds. Knowing the row is between the lettuce and/or radish sprouts makes it easier to find them and avoid destroying them when weeding or mulching.

Carrots also make good border lines around other crops to demark boundaries in the garden. Start a new row or two every couple weeks so you'll have fresh carrots all summer.

And when you grow them yourself, you can grow some of the more varied types, in different colors, for example.

"With direct sow will I have pretty decent results or should I germinate and start them inside?"

That varies with the type of plant. My advice is to direct sow anything that can be direct sown. This avoids any shock from transplanting, and gets things started under direct sunlight where they can grow the best. Carrots, peas, beans, corn, squash, cucumbers, and pumpkins all start well direct sowing in the garden. Potatoes (you are in Idaho after all) can be prepared indoors and sown when you have some green shoots developing from the eyes.

Oh, and if you plan corn, squash and beans, you might research "the legend of the three sisters." Those plants grow well together, and you can grow them in mounds like the native American tribes have been doing for centuries.

You'll be better off buying starter plants for anything that needs to start indoors weeks before the last frost. Germinating seeds into cute little sprouts is easy. Growing those little sprouts into strong, productive plants can be a bit beyond the capabilities of a first timer. You need a warm location, with lots of direct sunlight or a whole lot of artificial light (to approximate direct sunlight). Also, starting enough plants to fill out rows of a garden takes up more space indoors than you might think. Without enough heat and light, you'll have very week, very spindly plants which will either die when you put them in the garden, or spend extra weeks developing to overcome their light starved, sub-optimal beginnings. So, unless you live in a heated greenhouse, I'd recommend getting starter plants for tomatoes and peppers, and that's a good choice also for broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage.

With the Internet, it's possible to read the seed packet information about when to sow, and whether to start things indoors or direct sow in the garden. Look at the seed suppliers' web sites and information about growing from seed will be there. Again, for anything that is better started indoors, you might want to just go with starter plants from a local greenhouse/nursery for your first year.