On Thu, 11 Sep 2003 20:48:10 GMT, DigitalVinyl
wrote:

My landlords have offered for me to use a 5x12 square of lawn at th
eedge of my patio for next year's gardening. This year was a definite
success.

Pictures, Digital, of the new spot. We want to see Before and After.

There have been many posts here on the process of digging up/removing
grass for either garden or new lawn prep. You might want to search
Google groups.

A 4" slope (in the 5' or 12' direction?) doesn't sound like much, but
might be a problem with newly dug dirt and amendments. Maybe a border
of large stones or bricks could be employed. A nearby yard has been
growing veg on a rather steep slope with stone terraces for years.
I'll stop by and take a closer look to see if the stones are just set
in the ground or cemented in some way.

I agree with other posters that a small corn plot is a waste of space.
Not only is the yield small, but the yield bugs or birds don't get to
is even smaller. And corn is *tall*. Didn't you try growing some
already? (Of course, tomatoes are tall, too -- just not *that* tall.)

Weeding will, indeed, be an issue. Without constant attention and/or
thorough mulching, weeds will steal water and nutrients from your
plants. And they can't just be killed once. Eternal vigilance is the
price of tomatoes!

Given your green thumb, I expect you'll be running your own fresh veg
stand by next July. :-)