Summer Garden

I thought I'd share some pictures of my garden so far this summer. I've been growing chard, lettuce, kale, mizuna, tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers, hot peppers, alpine strawberries, tomatillos, radishes, carrots, beets, peas, garlic, onions, oregano, and basil. (along with a couple of mystery squash type plants that grew from semi-composted seeds)

We had a few pest problems along the way:

 (we named him bugsy)

We've gotten some great produce thus far!

What are YOU growing in your garden??

Eat smart,

T.

Help needed starting a vegetable garden

Now that we have our own home with a yard....I'd like to start a vegetable garden. I don't know what I'm doing, but I've gotten some tips from family members. I've previously grown a few things here and there, mostly in containers, due to living in apartments without much outdoor space.

I have to start from scratch....as in, digging up the whole thing! There's only grass outside, so it's going to be a lot of work. It's 70 degrees today, but technically the last frost won't be until at least May 15th, I think.

Here's what I'd like to plant:

Tomatoes
Sweet Peppers
Lettuce
Arugula
Chard
Carrots
Kale
Broccoli
...maybe Zucchini.

Is this too much for a beginner? I gave up the idea of raised beds, because it's expensive and I'd also need to have soil/dirt delivered. I read that a 10' x 16' garden is good for a beginner. Seems a bit large to me. I was outside measuring today and it looked like maybe a 9' x 9' or 9' x 12' might be good. I was calculating a single row at 1 1/2', then a path at 1 1/2', a double row (3'), then another path (1 1/2') and finally a single row (1 1/2'). I'd like to put chicken wire around the whole thing.

Flood me with your suggestions PLEASE!! I'm such a beginner.

Oh, and here are the tools I have so far:

Large shovel
Small shovel
Pitchfork
Pruning Shears

So I think I need a hand tiller and a hoe perhaps? How do I start? Dig up the grass with a pitchfork? HELP!

PS-we have clay soil.

Eat smart,
T.