Small Area Gardening

I have a relatively decent sized yard but not much in terms of planting vegetables.  I have a few long strip-planters that are really meant for flowers.  I love flowers but I'm trying to grow more vegetables and have the kids eat healthier (so we can actually eat what we grow).  I've also had gardening on the 'chore list' when Daeton has had negative behavior.  Not that he really minds gardening, but I think it is also good for both of them.

Last week I sent Kaela outside and she cut 5-6 small crooked-neck squash (some people call it yellow squash) off of the plant and we ate them 1/2 hour later in our dinner.  They tasted great and the kids got a kick out of eating something that had just been growing.  We have done this with our fruit trees before and have grown tomato plants often but this squash was a first-time for cooked veggies.

This planter that Daeton is planting seeds in is in the front yard and is a raised one.  It was built a few years ago when our next-door-neighbor tried to build the wall we share higher and the city said front walls are only allowed to be 6 feet high.  He said the only way that it can be allowed is if something like this was put in, since the 6 feet is technically 6 feet from the ground, so this planter makes the ground higher.  :-)  Either way, it was a free planter for me since the height of the wall didn't bother me but the neighbor did it without asking or talking to me about it and when I wasn't home.

 This next one is in the backyard, on the side of the house.  It is HARD compact dirt that needs to be dug up and turned over.  Daeton went here on his own and planted seeds. I have only a little bit of an idea of what he planted.  So, when plants grow I am going to have to guess... bulbs?  Broccoli?  Cauliflower?  Onions?  Lettuce?  Flowers?  ... he had a plastic grocery bag of seed packages and I'm not sure which ones got opened!  I guess I can call it my 'surprise garden.'