My mother and I are starting a backyard garden this spring...?!

My family does herbs- rosemary, mint, thyme- just b/c I lovveveee fresh herbs, the difference between them and store-bought dried is amazing.
Make sure you plant mint in a pot, though, or it completely overwhelms the garden.
We got a ton of tomatoes, cucumbers and jalapenos this year - just one jalapeno plant gave us about 15 jalapenos over the course of the summer, they're easy, can go quite a while without watering- and we even got a small watermelon, and a few bell peppers.
Plant cucumbers and melons by fences of trellis-things; also, when a melon starts getting sizable, tie a bag around it, help support it, otherwise it will pull off the stem.
Our garden isn't that big and we aren't exactly dedicated but I do like it.

A lot of what to plant depends on the climate and soil of where you live. I'd look that up, and then look up plants that will thrive there.


Vegetarian Meal Ideas:
Breakfast: waffles/pancakes, cereal/muesli/granola, breakfast burritos, yogurt parfait, smoothies, has browns, granola bars, fruit salads, french toast, veggie omelettes, fake bacon/sausage.... not a lot changes with breakfast, actually.

Lunch/Dinner: pasta marinara, pasta salad, eggplant parmesan, casseroles (potato, rice, pasta, veggie, etc), curries, stir-fries, marinated veggie kebabs, dahl, falafel, 3-bean chili, vegetable pot pie, macaroni and cheese, veggie pizza, fake meats, salads, grilled portobello caps, rice dishes, burritos, black bean tamales, salads, soba noodles with asian-style veggies, sandwiches, wraps, stuffed peppers/mushrooms, black bean burgers, empanadas, and, as you mentioned, soups- I COULD live on soups- black bean, tortilla, minestrone, vegetable, bean, gazpacho, lentil, 'chicken', etc

vegweb.com has all vegan recipes
vegetariantimes.com has some good ones
usually just googling '___ recipe' will do the trick

I'm vegan

We started vegetable gardening 3 summers ago and, each year, I learn something worthwhile to help me the following year. We love tomatoes, but I've learned that cherry tomatoes are difficult to harvest and many have gone to waste. This summer, no cherry tomatoes for my garden. Also, I've learned that even though my garden may be big enough for 10 tomato plants, this year I will only choose 4 varieties to plant...more than that and the garden gets too hard to manage. Peppers are great to plant and don't take up alot of room...I will plant 3 or 4 varieties this year. Cucumbers, if planted near a fence, will climb up the fence rather than all ove your garden. Still, cukes and zucchini (and other squash varieties) need alot of room to spread out as they grow. While growing, it's good to tie the zucchini/squash up off of the ground so they don't rot. Herbs can be grown in pots. As far as recipes, the Internet is such a huge resource for recies, I never buy cookbooks anymore!! Enoy your gardening, :-)

Awesome! Plant herbs, herbs are so expensive in stores. You can use them fresh or dry them out and keep them in glass jars etc. I would also grow peppers, tomatoes and cilantro so you can make your own salsa. Cucumbers are super easy to grow as well. Strawberries are easy to grow and so are squash. Hmm if you like arugula, that's easy too for salads and stuff.

Good for you guys!

Tomatoes are a must; you haven't lived until you've had a fresh Beefsteak.
Some different kinds of lettuce
Broccoli Rabi is awesome and grows great in a temperate climate. It can be used to substitute both Broccoli and leafy greens like spinach and kale.
Melon
Squash
You should grow some herbs: Basil, rosemary, thyme, cilantro, parsley, mint. My uncle grows dill in his garden, but it's pretty weedy so be warned.
Maybe a raspberry bush; I'd stay away from strawberries, they have a tendency to take over the whole garden.

Plant grape tomatoes over the full size. They are much easier to care for & also they taste better! I also plant multiple types of lettuce, green & red peppers, green onions, snap peas. That's about it. I also planted Yukon Gold potatos last year. But potatoes ended up being a lot of work. I wouldn't recommend.

COurgettes- very easy to grow and don't need maintenance.
Tomatoes
Carrots
Arugula
Peas
green beans- easy
all kinds of herbs
strawberries


Recipes? So many...just use common sense. Lentil pie with cheesy mash is a good one.

Tomatoes, peppers, okra, green beans, squash, soybeans and cucumbers. Herbs such as dill, basil,and whatever else you like.

Green beans, lettuce, cabbage, zucchini, tomatoes.