We have a pretty high maintenance backyard, in terms of gardening, but its mostly Margaret's, as she is happiest tending to her flowers and plants, whereas I'm more into mowing the lawn and tending my "specialty crops"...
I will usually grow 8 tomato plants (buying them as "bedding outs" from local greenhouses), usually four each "Beefsteaks", "Early Girls", or "Better Boys" (tho' I don't know if these are "heirlooms", I've been using these types many years)
Likewise, I'm up for English "Burpless" cucumbers, usually four of these, plus bell peppers, Sheppard peppers, and, generally, a "project" of the year, be this a "hot" pepper, cantaloup, melon, or something a bit off the beaten path for Ontarian growing...(I have fun with it!)
We are getting more into growing some herbs, such as oregano, basil, marjoram, etc...and try to stay away from chives, as these things go crazy here and become a "weed"..grow so fast that we can't eat them up fast enough, and nothing is worse than stiff, stalky "old" chives...
Noting that Stoney Creek is "famous" for its clay, we had to "sweeten" the ground with umpteen yards of "triple mix", sand and peat, in order to break up the soil and emplace some nutrient for successful attempts...
Since fruiting plants suck out a lot of nutrients, its essential to replace them, as well as guarding against the various raccoons, bunnies, squirrels etc that are wont to "raid" the garden...
"Bloodmeal" tends to frighten away the plant eating "animal raiders" by its scent, and arguably may help with the tomato's...
Gathering up all the dead leaves in the fall, and rototilling these through the garden, or "mulching" them over the perennials does the very best, and I'd recommend it to the List's gardeners, its "putting back in what you took out"!
I also use "Miracle Grow" powder, sluiced into a watering can to dissolve, on a bi-weekly basis, and have built "racks" for the various plant types to grow up around, in order to get straight cukes, and not have the plants rip themselves apart, but thats something for our shorter growing season here than in the States...
Feeds about 3-5 households, and accounts for a year-round supply of wine from the next door retired engineer (is this a "symbiotic" relationship?) who is especially fond of cukes and tomato's....
Note that he both begat and solved the raccoon problems...we all back up onto the Niagara Escarpment, with a creek and waterfall close at hand...a breeding ground for "critters"...he allowed a family of raccoons to esconse themselves near his backyard pool pumping house...
But when they commenced to tipping and spilling his garbage can, he (apparently! "Legend" as opposed personal witnessing!) "hot-wired" the garbage can lids, grounding them to the buckets, insulating with a "Glad Bag"...by about 0200 hrs one night, there were four dead raccoons in a Glad Bag, and the neighbourhood has been "suspiciously clear" of the critters since....
(Morale of the story is "Don't mess with Engineers")
Lifter