I used to have a great garden but I haven't for the past several years. I've had really good luck growing peppers. My jalapenos and habanero plants went crazy and I was giving them away to everyone. I even did pretty well with banana peppers but my bell peppers hated me. I got about four peppers total from the two plants that I babied. I'm not sure what I did wrong with them.

I've always envied my ex-mother-in-law. She has an amazing garden and can make anything grow. She even grew her own radishes and broccoli. She raised cucumbers and dill and then made her own pickles too. Every week she used to bring us a shopping bag full of stuff from her garden. There was just too much of it!

Bev, you could chicken wire an area off? My mum and dad have had to chicken wire off all their lawn and beds cos the dog eats everything luckily they've got a big patio area!

Twyla, we had no luck with bell peppers either, they kept cracking for some reason? I don't know if we weren't feeding them enough or something? I really want to grow my own sprouts this winter, I eat so many of them. I'm going to get some more compost and then I've got lettuce seeds and things to start sewing

I try growing chilli's every year but I don't think I've successfully grown more than 2 in a year In fact this thread has reminded me that I'm a bit late planting this year, will have to buy a seedling instead

I saw a wonderful trick for making a vegetable plot using a wooden pallet. I might give it a try. Making a vegetable or flower box is pricey. I'd plant things in my yard, but I'm wary of chemicals from my neighbor's yard, etc. If I'm going to eat it, I'm going to have very firm control over what goes into it. But I agree, home grown tastes so much better.