Where to put my garden?

Hey all you ladies and gentlemen with green thumbs, I need your help!! I'm trying to decide where to put my garden. I have a few options each with their pros and cons so I'm looking for some reader input to help me decide. Some issues we will be dealing with are: poor sun exposure (we have tons of lovely, huge shade trees), woodland creatures (we are right next door to a nature preserve, so deer, squirrels, rabbits, and every type of bug imaginable), sloping yard (see our upcoming "Mowing a Hill" post) and so on.

Place your vote below and then leave me a comment with your reasons why you chose the space that you did!



Option 1: Ease Side of House
This was my first inclination but I'm starting to have doubts.



Pros: Right out side the kitchen (once we get the door fixed...), furthest from the woodland creatures (they would have to cross the yard and be fully exposed to the street), and fairly level.

Cons: Variable sun exposure, not much room to expand, close to the trash and recycle cans.

Option 2: West Side of House



Pros: Excellent all day sun exposure, lots of room to expand, and fairly level.
Cons: Furthest from the kitchen and closest to the woods (like 3 steps from the woods.)

Option 3: Rear of House



Pros: Close to kitchen/back door, some sun exposure in the morning, will get water runoff from hill, and windows may provide some woodland creature deterrant.
Cons: Small space, may want to build a deck/patio in the future, and not sure about the quality of the soil.

Option 4: Top of Hill



Pros: Lots of uncultivated space...
Cons: Most secluded and might invite previously named woodland creatures, plants might have to compete with trees for soil nutrients, and very shaded. (Oh yeah...and I'd have to climb up the hill.)

Like I said, none of these are the ideal garden location but it's what I've got - and the F2F motto is to try to work with what you have available to you! (Alright...so that's my motto, not so much Micheal's.)

If you read our blog via email or reader you'll need to click on the Title "Where to Put My Garden?" to take you to the original webpage. There you can vote and leave comments (as with any other post you find particularly interesting!)