Hello all.

I am working on my first SFG -- actually first garden of any sort -- and am looking for some direction on my planting plan.

I have already built my 4'x8' box and filled it with something close to Mel's mix. I intend to plant:

Tomatoes (T)

Cantaloupe (C)

Bush beans (B)

Lettuce (L)

Spinach (S)

Carrots (c)

Onions (O)

Cilantro (x)

Basil (b)

These were selected because we like them, and without regard to their suitability to our environment (zone 8b). First mistake? I also wanted to do corn at first, but thought it would overwhelm everything else...maybe next year.

My initial plan is this:

North

T*T*C*C*

xBBSSSSS

bBBLLLLL

xBBOOccc

The * are empty - thus, 2 squares for each tomato and cantaloupe. Hmm, looking at it I don't know that we need 2 squares of cilantro. Will probably replace one of those with some other herb...oregano maybe?

I realize I'll have to build some of trellis across the whole north side.

I started some seeds inside a couple of weeks ago. The tomatoes, canteloupe and basil are looking good, so I will tranplant those. The spinach and lettuce look pretty sad; those may start over from seed outside.

So, any thoughts on this layout? All feedback is appreciated.

Thanks!