A small "liberty garden"

by Rachael
(Brighton, CO USA)

A liberty garden is increasing in popularity
My vegetable garden is a very small patch of land in my back yard. It is in the shape of a semi-circle, and is about 15 feet long and at its widest point in the arc of the semi-circle is about 5 feet. This layout worked perfectly for me, as the straight back side of the vegetable garden was along a fence line.

Careful design created a perfect garden
I needed a garden which would be easy to get in and out of without getting myself too dirty or muddy, or taking up too much space in my backyard. It was also directly in line with my lawn's sprinklers, so I had to do very little hand-watering of my vegetables. It ended up being the perfect layout for me.

Last summer I grew cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, and pepper. This summer I will skip the carrots--I realized I needed a much bigger plot to get more than a few carrots.

I live in the dry rocky mountains, which is a zone 5
We can get some hard frosts early and late in the year, but during the remainder of the gardening season, the zone remains rather consistent as far as temperatures and moisture. It is fairly easy to dictate what types of fruits and vegetables will grow best in the area.

The best advice I can give to fellow gardeners in the same zone who want a hassle-free garden is to start small. Don't take on more than you can handle, and certainly don't plant more vegetables than you will use!