How to Set Up a Backyard Garden with Tomatoes and Basil

Before we met, Michael and I were growing our own herbs and vegetables. I had container gardens on balconies and patios and he had huge tomatoes plants in his front yard. And ever since we got married, we have had gardens everywhere we lived. We set up our backyard garden for each home based on sunlight and available space. We've been in our current home for 14 years now and have nearly perfected a routine for our summer vegetable and herb garden. At one point we had over 200 square feet of edible gardening space in different places around our backyard, but the trees have grown up around us and shaded more areas, so we gradually cut back to this large spot on the south side of the house.

We've learned many lessons about what works in our backyard garden. We tried squash for a few years, but the squash bugs were so bad we gave up. I've tried to grow eggplant, cucumbers, and container tomatoes on the deck an in the ground, but the plants never made it. Every year the eggplant and cucumbers were invaded by garden pests and we would lose the plants, so after a while we decided to stop that experiment. I used to keep some herbs in pots up on the deck, but we find it easier to put them in the ground with the rest of the edibles. The only edibles I keep on the deck now are mint, green onions, and chives. They grow easily in pots, and I don't want the mint taking over the garden and the grass. I made that mistake a long time ago and had to work for a couple years to remove all the mint that was traveling everywhere. I've even dug it up from under a huge rock in our yard and out in the grass ten feet from where I originally planted it. So the garden mint had to go.

My husband, Michael, has made a few videos about our vegetable and herb garden and how we set it up, as well as tips that we have learned over the years. So check out his demonstrations and let us know what you think! How do you set up your vegetable and herb garden?