Where should I put my veggie garden? Limited space Cen-Texas

[cheeseball]

A question for you all! I'm new to this forum so I apologize in advance if I've done anything wrong with regards to this post. I realize there is already a lot of advice on the forum about where to put a veggie garden. However, I'm completely new to gardening so I'm worried about choosing my garden's spot without any advice given to me specifically. So, obviously, the question is:

Where should I put my garden?


Here are some things you probably need to know:
-I'm being ambitious because I want to jumpstart my gardening years! And you can't talk me out of it (maybe..)
-I live in Central Texas and I intend to grow throughout the summer
-I want to grow a vertical garden using containers
-I have extremely limited space
-I can only grow in the front yard + I live in a less than secure neighborhood so I want my garden back from the street.
-Most likely planting tomatoes, okra, pole beans, eggplant, and other heat lovers with the ability to climb
-The knowledge I have about gardening I gained in the last two days from a "___ for Dummies" book and Google searches.

Below is a view of the duplex I live in and spots for my garden. The spot circled in red is my preferred spot (close to water and somewhat hidden). The second spot (circled in blue) is the other choice I picked out after noticing my chosen spot was covered in the house's shadow.

[Bobberman]

Verticle is great for a small area. I would consider a runner bean which I think is better tasting than any other pole bean and also it has a nice looking red flower and produces over a long period! A small area is easy to mulch and plants grow better with mulch so check it out here. Also you can plant snap peas early. I like the six foot size sugar snap pea that you can eat small or large! Its also easy to grow.! Welcome!

[rainbowgardener]

It looks like they are pretty small areas, so perhaps you would want to do both. You can pick what goes where by the hours of sun.

For most of us, veggies want full sun. But for you in Central TX trying to grow through the summer, you will want some protection from hot afternoon sun. So you want to plant things where they will get sun from sunrise to maybe noon or 1PM and then in shade or filtered light after that. I can't really tell from your pic and map if that is how it will be in those areas. If you don't have a growing area that meets those conditions, you will want to invest in some shade cloth to filter the light.

Okra and eggplant are about the best heat lovers. You will want to look for heat tolerant tomato varieties like these:

https://bonnieplants.com/products/vegeta ... t-tolerant

melons are also heat tolerant and can be grown vertically, but take a lot of water.

[imafan26]

Some suggestions for a beginner.
Take a look at how the shadows behave throughout the day. Vegetable gardens need 6 hours of sun a day. The house may shadow part of the garden area for part of the day. That can work for you in the heat of summer, but against you if you don't get enough light.

Raised beds are good especially if the soil is compacted. If you are going to plant in pots, make sure they are big enough, pots dry out faster than a raised bed.
In a small space, I would look for productive and come again plants to get the best use of the space.
I grow heat tolerant varieties and these are my favorites

Cherry tomatoes (sungold, red cherry, heatwaveII) Cherry tomatoes produce better than large tomatoes with fewer problems and better heat tolerance. Heatwave II is about 10 oz. Arkansas traveller is also a good heat tolerant tomato.
Cucumber "Suyo" burpless, non-bitter and heat tolerant. Does not need pollination. Good in heat up till the 90's.
Eggplant is a shrub but takes to containers fine.
Peppers plant in the cooler times of the year. Most will not set fruit much above 88 degrees
Hot peppers Tobasco, superchili, cayenne, habanero set well even in the heat with good water. Jalapeno.. I have mixed results. Uneven heat of peppers on the same plant and relatively short life of the plant as a whole.
lettuce, Asian greens- Red and bib lettuce do the best. Other loose leaf lettuces do well. Heading lettuce is not worth planting for me. I do not get cool enough. Ditto for cabbages, that is why I plant Asian greens, they take more heat. I plant lettuce under my overhead trellis of squash.
Collards and Kale- One or two plants will provide a continuous supply of leaves
New zealand spinach- It is a spinach substitute for hot weather. It is a vine (perennial in frost free areas) Eat just the tips. Cook like spinach. Mild taste and not slimy like malabar spinach.
Pole beans Kentucky wonder
peanuts
herbs
Squash (grown on an overhead trellis) butternut, asian squash hyotan, kabocha pumpkin (similar to buttercup squash)
Below is a link to aggie horticultural page from Texas A&M. They will have specific recommendations for what varieties grow best in your area. You could also contact your local master gardeners for help.

https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/trav ... tables.htm

[cheeseball]

Wow!! A big thank you to everyone.

Even though I love okra, I'll reluctantly stay away from it while I'm still restricted to containers. I think I will use both areas and possibly construct an overhanging trellis for squash and shade! Y'all have given me tons of ideas and I will definitely use all the advice, general and specific.


Thank you, thank you, thank you!