Any ideas?

I guess I find it hard to believe that in the middle of a half-dozen yard wide slot between two two-story houses, you'd get 6.5 hours of direct sun. But, whatever works. If you did, you could grow most anything there.

Oh, you didn't mean between the houses, maybe?

Seems like you could grow anything now, but eventually the Arborvitae will shade and send roots into the area, not really making it a long term vegetable garden. Depends what is more important to you, the screening or a garden. That grassy area south of the patio might be a good strip for a garden, maybe remove some of the Arbs farther from the house.

vgkg - I’ve started some tomatoes by seed. So I’ll need to find a place for them somewhere. I was originally thinking in the planter where I have the cool weather veggies, but since those aren’t doing well I’m afraid the tomatoes won’t either.

Daninthedirt- why is it hard to believe that that area gets that much sun? My house and my neighbors are 25’ apart and in-line with each other. They don’t have any landscaping or structures that would shade the area. There are no homes behind us, just woods that go down to a large river.

• I see you edited your response. Correct, I’m not talking about the area between the two homes, I’m talking about the small area when you first enter the backyard from that gate. In the photo I’m in the backyard facing the front yard.

Rbrt - the arborvitae on the left of the photo are 4yrs old and around 8’. There are no arborvitae directly across from them. I staggered them and started the other row of screening on the fence line (right side in the photo).

My tomatoes

This is right now at 4:04pm eastern.

If you're talking along the splitrail, plant raspberry or blackberries. Tomatoes go up more by the deck where you don't get the shadows.

12 tomato plants is a good number, I'd plant at least one/two tomato plants in the area which has the questionable soil (in your first post) and see what happens, by it's growth habit there may be visible clues to the soil problems if there are any.