Envy.... to the point of ripping off your ideas :)

Donna just dug up our garden and is going to planters that can be moved. From what we learned I think we can be much more productive with a smaller area like you are doing. And the SUN is a bitch here in the Summer. We'll be by to check out your work and take a class.

This is my second year gardening. I took some cheap gardening classes through the Phoenix Permaculture Guild http://www.phoenixpermaculture.org/ They have classes all the time in gardening, rainwater reclamation, beekeeping, raising chickens, you name it. I also got a book on preserving and a big pressure canner that I used to can tomatoes and peppers. Weeds are a problem but I mulched heavily and that seems to help. Good luck! 

Neat, thanks for the link. We're planning on doing some gardening experiments this year (with an eye toward serious production with in the next couple years) and it's always good to have more information : )

In the '70's I grew a garden in my bermuda grass backyard by laying a piece of black plastic, using a flat shovel to make v shape in the ground and tucking in the edges and stomping it down good so the plastic couldn't come out.  Then I cut x's in it where I wanted plants and grew tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and whatever I wanted.

Very successful.