53 sqft. will be a breeze to take care of. From the trees in the picture, i'm assuming you're in California. Correct? Even though you have southern sun exposure, it would be wise to make sure the area gets enough sunlight before even starting the construction process. I say this because of the eventual shading of the area by the building on the left. 6-8 hours of sunlight is recommended.

EG

Yes, I am in Southern California. The 40ft wall is of the building's and the 39ft wall is the fence. The tree that I have shown in my drawing has not been planted, it't just a placeholder for future.

I will figure out the sunlight time and post it here.

The area is getting about 5-6 hours of sunlight.

You should be fine.....

Any recommendations on what to spread over the open areas of soil? Mulch? Wood chips?

Something to consider...aisle size. Will you be using a wheelbarrow at all? If so will the one you have fit through a 2.5 aisle? My aisles are 3 feet which is just enough room to maneuver my wheelbarrow...but then again I don't have the same space constraints you have with walls and such.

I smothered the grass in my aisles with newspaper/cardboard, then covered it with weedcloth then mulch. I like the mulch...its attractive and soft under my feet as I work. There are several other ways to do aisles too depending on where you are and what you like...pavers, gravel, pine needles, grass...etc

I could push back the containers by a few feet to give a 3' wide aisle on the side and between them, and maybe combine the 4x4 and 5x4 to make up for the lost space.

The mulch sounds a better option. Thanks.

Like marzy said, the aisles might be a problem for ya with a wheelbarrow, but you can always improvise. On your pathways, i'd make them as attractive as possible - but that certainly doesn't mean you have to spend alot of money on doing it. Neatness is the key, because everyone loves a tidy garden. I'd probably put down black plastic with decorative wood mulch on top.

EG

Thought I would post my progres so far. I scaled down on the number of square foot plots. I am only planning on having one 7x2 and one 4x4. Will probably plant a fruit tree in the far end. Here are some pics: