Gardening 101

[posed by daughter]

I am feeling a bit more adventurous in matters of green things after reviving one of the few house plants that had survived the move from Beaverton. I had taken some fresh potting soil and replanted the cactus in a lidless teapot. It not only perked up, but the thing actually blossomed! I am fairly sure that this kind of success with plants is common among gardeners, however I am just as sure I have had no such success with a plant of my own. (Mad cackling in the background, "It's alive!)

I had thought that perhaps "green thumbs" were genes of the recessive type, and that I had been born with a brown thumb. It turns out that I'm really just a sore loser. Not long after I started dating, I realized that I have spent pretty much my entire life avoiding new things. After some thought I came to the conclusion that I like to be best. I like to be best so much that I would rather not even try for fear of failure.

I have failed at gardening before. It didn't get very far. I planted some seeds in a pot on the porch and the cat chose to use it as a litter box. (Sigh). However I have moved to a house with a yard and permission to spruce it up in whatever manner I would like-- and I would like to garden. But, being an inexperienced gardener I have some challenges to attend to:

I haven't the faintest idea how to start. I have a long strip of land with a fence at one end and a shed at the other. The chain link fence is propped up by an immense amount of blackberries which I have been told make great pies and also are a great work out in the Spring when a pair of shears are more than necessary to cut them back. The sun tends to spend most of its time on the left side of the yard with the fence casting a shadow over the ground. The side with the shed gets more sun throughout the day.

The cat has been sentenced to life inside the house due to the busy road we now live on and the danger of raccoons and coyotes! This means the garden will be safe from my cat but I'm curious if the other wildlife will prove to be a hassle. And then there are the holes there are a few of these in the yard and Mojo our little miniature Pinscher appears very interested in them. Any ideas Risa?