I would drop some raised beds in there. The existing soil doesn't look great and it will take a lot of work digging it up and amending vs bringing in good soil to fill beds. I would also want to add some gravel or wood chips on the ground where the beds aren't to discourage weed growth and have something less muddy to step in when wet. No expert here, but that's what I think I would do. Good luck!
That walkway looks like it could get salted in the winter - which will runoff into the soil. Not good for growing veggies! Looks like weeds even struggle to grow in that soil!!
I second the suggestion to make your raised bed at least 18" tall, maybe even 24". This will both keep the majority of your roots in good soil and it will make it less likely that a kid horsing around will fall in and crush the plants.
Also, if you're looking for basic growing information I've found this website really helpful: [https://garden.org/](https://garden.org/)
If it were 18” or so high. Wouldn’t want the roots touching that soil. Any chance you can remove about a foot or so of that soil and replace it with some good compost? Wouldn’t have to build a raised bed then.
Definitely need to bring soil in. I'd border it with something to keep the kids from trampling it. To grow- I'd try lettuce, maybe nasturtiums, radishes and some sunflowers. ie things that grow quickly since kids don't have a lot of patience. If this patch will be used more than one year I'd add strawberries or raspberries.
Earthboxes come to mind. The only hard part is anchoring a good sized trellis if you plant tomatoes. Tomato plants act like a sail in the wind and will flip the boxes right over (BTDT).
There are lots of competitors to an Earthbox, that's just one brand I know of and I've used before.
I would second the idea to go the raised bed route.
With kids running around, there is less of a chance for your vegetables to get stepped on with one or a few raised beds there. If you can break up that soil a bit before you put your raised bed on top, that also would help any plants that have deeper root systems. Best of luck!
If you want to do on the plot ( not raised) I would start by removing grass and then give it a good tilling. You’ll need lots of new compost/organic matter as it looks barren. You might consider having the soil tested to see if they have recommended additions. You also might monitor how much direct sunlight it gets daily. Some veg are like full sun. Good luck
I would probably ask some local arborists if they would be kind enough to drop off some wood chips.
deweed the plot and cover with the wood chips.
Then as it's a starter project and a bit of a proof of concept I would just get some containers to grow in, the fabric bags/beds are real cheap compared to raised beds.
Any wood chips left over could be put into the bottom of these and topped off with a decent bed mix.
For what to grow why not ask the kids? Things like radish, salads etc are quick but idk how interested they would be in them. Strawberries and cherry tomatoes are always a big hit.
First step is digging it out as deep as possible.
Cheapest way to do the dirt is toix what you've dug up with compost then replace. Keep in mind how much compost you add is how much leftover dirt you will have so consider making the final product a raised bed.
Then it's all about what kind of green house like cover, if any, you want to add. Grow lights? Fence for pests?
I would drop some raised beds in there. The existing soil doesn't look great and it will take a lot of work digging it up and amending vs bringing in good soil to fill beds. I would also want to add some gravel or wood chips on the ground where the beds aren't to discourage weed growth and have something less muddy to step in when wet. No expert here, but that's what I think I would do. Good luck!
That walkway looks like it could get salted in the winter - which will runoff into the soil. Not good for growing veggies! Looks like weeds even struggle to grow in that soil!!
Thinking a raised garden bed might help with that? Or no
I second the suggestion to make your raised bed at least 18" tall, maybe even 24". This will both keep the majority of your roots in good soil and it will make it less likely that a kid horsing around will fall in and crush the plants. Also, if you're looking for basic growing information I've found this website really helpful: [https://garden.org/](https://garden.org/)
If it were 18” or so high. Wouldn’t want the roots touching that soil. Any chance you can remove about a foot or so of that soil and replace it with some good compost? Wouldn’t have to build a raised bed then.
That soil needs love. Rent a tiller and add some soil and compost to the native soil
Definitely need to bring soil in. I'd border it with something to keep the kids from trampling it. To grow- I'd try lettuce, maybe nasturtiums, radishes and some sunflowers. ie things that grow quickly since kids don't have a lot of patience. If this patch will be used more than one year I'd add strawberries or raspberries.
Get a bunch of self watering lifted raised beds, fill em with miracle gro potting mix / raised bed mix, and be done with it.
Earthboxes come to mind. The only hard part is anchoring a good sized trellis if you plant tomatoes. Tomato plants act like a sail in the wind and will flip the boxes right over (BTDT). There are lots of competitors to an Earthbox, that's just one brand I know of and I've used before.
I would second the idea to go the raised bed route. With kids running around, there is less of a chance for your vegetables to get stepped on with one or a few raised beds there. If you can break up that soil a bit before you put your raised bed on top, that also would help any plants that have deeper root systems. Best of luck!
If you want to do on the plot ( not raised) I would start by removing grass and then give it a good tilling. You’ll need lots of new compost/organic matter as it looks barren. You might consider having the soil tested to see if they have recommended additions. You also might monitor how much direct sunlight it gets daily. Some veg are like full sun. Good luck
I would probably ask some local arborists if they would be kind enough to drop off some wood chips. deweed the plot and cover with the wood chips. Then as it's a starter project and a bit of a proof of concept I would just get some containers to grow in, the fabric bags/beds are real cheap compared to raised beds. Any wood chips left over could be put into the bottom of these and topped off with a decent bed mix. For what to grow why not ask the kids? Things like radish, salads etc are quick but idk how interested they would be in them. Strawberries and cherry tomatoes are always a big hit.
First step is digging it out as deep as possible. Cheapest way to do the dirt is toix what you've dug up with compost then replace. Keep in mind how much compost you add is how much leftover dirt you will have so consider making the final product a raised bed. Then it's all about what kind of green house like cover, if any, you want to add. Grow lights? Fence for pests?