I hate to say it, but if this is the first year from sod to garden, you have LOTS of grass and weeds to pull. Make your rows wide enough to get a walk behind tiller through and hand weed between plants. That is my advice. We do some huge gardens and I know from experience, trying to get more rows to cram more stuff in the garden is futile. You will hate it. And if your back hurts now? Wait until you have been weeding on your hands and knees for hours. We don't use chemicals of any kind near our gardens, so sometimes it does get away from us. Last year we had a jungle in the tomatoes, but with 60 tomato plants and as many peppers, it was insane while trying to do all my poultry stuff. This year, I am doing things a little differently though and cutting back on both ends so I can enjoy more of the birds and the blooms and the fruits of labor. Also, mulch, mulch and more mulch with help keep those weeds down. We have had success in the past with taking paper grocery bags, or feed bags, and then dumping grass clippings on those for mulching down the weeds.
BUT speaking of fruits....
My DH dragged me (like I would need dragging) to go shopping for fruit trees and perennials at Sagents in Red Wing. We are going back tomorrow with the trailer to bring home at least 4 fruit trees - pears, plums, and if i have my way, cherries. We already have 9 apple trees (which we have lost our property map showing which is what variety). We had to remove several big, old silver maples in the last few years, so now we are also planting to replace those areas with something other than more grass to mow. I just bought us a new John Deere lawn tractor last year to do the 8+ hours of mowing we have weekly, and even though we all love driving it, we DON'T need more grass.
We are both certain, my DH and I that I have lost all sense of reality and I live in a dream world where I can do EVERYthing there is to do around our property. LOL!!
