What's the best way to start a vegetable garden in my back yard?

Question:I'm thinking about starting a veggie garden since I can't afford to incorporate fresh veggies and such into my diet. what's the best way to start a garden and mantain it, in the south east?

Answers:
I think starting a garden is an excellent way to get your veggies without spending a lot of money... and for me it's turned into a therapeutic hobby too. :)

There are a lot of factors-- type of soil you have, amount of sun, wat size garden, what you want to grow, etc, etc.

Here's some general advice--- (the best I can do without knowing more about your yard)

Find the sunniest spot in your yard. rent a tiller to turn the soil.

Then, see what the neighbors are growing (chances are they have the same type of soil you do).. or take a soil sample to your local nursery and ask them, "what will grow in this type of ground"?

As for maintenance.. put down a lot of mulch. it will keep the water in and reduce the number of weeds.. if you want to get fancy, they have plastic or burlap tarps you can put over the garden to keep weeds down.

The south east is a great climate because you have a longer growing season. if you have good soil, you should have a bountiful garden. :)

Here's a link to an ebook that may help you-- it's pretty thorough and offers some good advice. It's titled Vegetable Garden Secrets. http://www.iwantateachingjob.com/garden. Maybe the book can help you get started. :)

Best of luck!!