Bought our first house in August ‘11 and the following spring promptly constructed and planted a 4×4 square foot garden in the back yard. So that makes 2012 our first time having our own garden. So far so good — our back yard is full sun — 6-7 hours, depending on the time of year. Plan to again fill up our raised bed, and also plant about eight (scratch that, 14) tomato plants in buckets out in the back yard this year. I’ve also decided to participate in the Dwarf Tomato Project over on Tomatoville, so I’ll be growing some dwarfs probably in 5 gal grow bags, assuming I don’t kill them first.

We also have planted the front yard, which is part-shade (morning sun, afternoon shade) mostly with annuals. Our first year (2012) we had a bed full of beautiful gazanias and marigolds, and some native plants — black eyed susans and cardinal plants mostly. Who knows what we’ll do with it for 2013, but I find that I like planting annuals because it gives me the chance to try something new every year, especially in my front yard which is pretty small compared to your average suburban home (but gargantuan for most other homes in the greater metro area). We do have a dwarf rose bush by the stairs, but that’s about the only perennial we have planted beyond the tree in the front yard.

For my day job I’m a political journalist here in the fascinating, busy and strange city of Washington, D.C., but I grew up in a suburb of a big city in Texas. DC is a fun town but I do miss home.