Planning my first garden for the spring... any suggestions?

I really want to plant a garden this spring, and since this is my first, I'd love any feedback. Like what are your favorite fruits and veggies to plant, if you're in my climate zone (GA) what didn't work well, what plants yielded more than you expected etc.

I've been dreaming of vine-ripened tomatoes, squash and zucinin.... now if we can just fast forward through this winter. :)

I can't give any advice on planning your garden because I have a BLACK thumb. But I love gardens and fresh veggies and I hope it goes very well and you get lots of yummy stuff! I will have to stick with my aerogarden (which I love and provides me with fun herbs). Let us know how your garden grows...

I'm planning to grow tomatoes and some herbs this year.  I've never had a garden before and I want something easy.  But tomatoes are something we use a fair amount of and I've heard they're easy and I plan to can some, too.

Tomatoes are very easy, and can be plentiful. There are a lot of varieties, so now is the time to check out what type you want to plant. Example: Big Boy are tasty, and good on a sandwich, but Roma are much smaller, more fleshy, and have less seeds which makes them great for sauces. They have a variety that's low in acid if that's an issue. Some are sweeter than others. The research, selecting, tasting, and comparing of  choices is one of the things I enjoy about gardening.

Here's a good website to start at: http://www.burpee.com/

I think you'll love it!

Kat

I relocated to another area, so no gardens this year. When I do have my garden I like to plant a few pumpkins for Halloween. When I was young I worked for a farmer who taught me a little trick. Take a nail when the pumpkin is small, just break the skin, and write something like your name on it. It heals in a scar, and your name is permanently etched in it. It was kind of cool to do when I was a kid.

I also liked to save room for colorful flowers like Zinnias. They just make me happy.

Parsley is easy to grow, and is great in recipes. It can be dried to use in the winter. It also makes a nice gift for a friend too.

Green Beans are always delicious, and freeze well to be stored for use in a winter stew.

I think the tomatoes would be great. Since you're in the south, you could experiment with some oven fried green tomatoes.

While you're thinking of tomatoes, how about some hot peppers, and green onions, so you could make salsa. Ooo-la-la!

One word, "Watermelons!"   Yum yum!

Send away for some seed books and just browse through them. Sometimes they have really cool things like Lemon cukes, or other oddities that are just fun to try out. The seed companies are very helpful, and indicate when to start planting in your zone and what you might want to start in pete pots in your house first.

I envy you, and your upcoming garden.

Have fun!
Kat

 My husband is planning a garden this spring also. We are focusing on things that we can "can". 
I have never been very good at gardening, so I certainly hope he has a greener thumb than I did. 

We will have sweet potatoes, cucumbers for pickles, carrots, tomatoes,  I will also be doing some herbs. 

Loving these suggestions, and especially sending away for seed books, Kat! In the past when I've thought about having a flower garden, I realize I've missed the planting season and grab just about anything they have at Lowes HAHA. I want my garden to be a little more well-planned. I'll keep you posted with pix when the time comes, and will be doing some Canning for sure!

I garden a lot. I live in Milwaukee county on a third of an acre. My goal is to have no lawn...only a garden LOL. (I have a long way to go!) There is a fun garden called the 3 sisters garden. It is an American Indian garden that works with nature. In the middle you plant a corn stalk. Around it you plant beans and squash. The beans climb up the corn stalk and the squash grows around the cornstalk on the ground. The squash leaves protect the soil from drying out and the weed out. Ttheir thorns keep the animals out. All 3 plants work together to balance the soil. You can "google" 3 sisters garden. Have fun with whatever you plant. I have an indoor garden on my kitchen table year round because I have a southern exposed window with rosemary, basil and parsley because I do a lot of cooking and baking with those herbs. I love rosemany on chicken and pork. Thomas Jefferson was a gardener. We visited his home Monticello and they sell his historic seeds. They are also available on line for fun. Tri

We had an amazing garden last year, 30 tomato plants, 2 rows of green beans, too many squash and zuchinni to count, broccoli, tons of different peppers....oh that was fun.  But we live in Eastern NC and it was just too hot and dry last summer. We ended up losing a lot more than we should have.

I'm going to do another "deck" garden this year in pots.  I did that summer before last and it was very successful.  I planted 4 cherry tomato plants and they produced like crazy!  Gave lots of those away! I did a pot full of chives, one of parsley, a basil, did several pots of different peppers.  My best advice is plant what you like but research what can have full sun and survive the heat.  In GA you are going to be in the same boat I am with heat and dry summers lol! 

I'm in a completely different part of the country, but I love planting a kitchen
garden or 2 or 3. Since I'm past the point of needing or wanting bushels
of veggies to put up, I plant dense beds of flowers and veggies together.
It can get hot and dry here in late Summer, but the dense flowers and
planting help hold in the moisture, and the mixed beds give a country
garden look. When the veggies are past their prime, you still have
the flowers and herbs looking good.