Final plan:

Ok, i think i will stick with this plan. Now i just have to decide how many repellent plants (chives, oregano, basil, marigolds, etc.) i need to get ready for.  Park Seeds is giving free shipping right now with a coupon code (SAVEGREEN) so i will be getting some new Heirloom Marigolds, oregano and Chive seed as well as a packet of Hens & Chicks mix to replace the ones hubby thought were dead from overwintering....he threw them out.  I have had them forever, and i tried to not be upset... but i'll just plant some more. *Sigh*  I need to get 25' of trellis netting, and it will be placed closer than i drew it on the plan. Burpee has a really good price on it, but i'm going to try and save shipping if i can find it locally.

Off to order more seeds...!  Really?...Yup!

Oh, i hate the mornings...

Well not always, really. Just the ones where you wake up to the reality that you do indeed have a cold.
But dad is coming over today to assess things...  the other project that needs doing is that retaining wall at the back fence. It needs to be made to retain better.  One good thing about the former owners of the yard is that some of the trash they left behind has turned out to be somewhat useful. There is a rigid but flexible pool wall out there that the guys think they can cut into a length and use. They are going to take down the fence panels, pull out the posts and dig the retaining wall trench out, then lay the pool wall against the retaining logs, backfill, then reinstall the posts and fence.

After that it will be time to get the garden going.

I have to re-plan it now. I finished my graph with the new dimensions, took my seed list, counted up what plants i expected to get out of the starts (i assumed less than half to be safe) accounted for direct-sow items and stuff yet to be started....

And now i decided, after looking at lots of pictures of small gardens on the web, that i probably can get away with 2-2.5' between rows rather than a full 3'. Or it might be a better idea to make my planting rows be 2' and have 2' walking rows between them. I was graphing 1' wide plant rows and 3' wide walking rows.   Until i realized that it was not going to work if i expected to do the mini hoop house idea,  even floating row covers might not work  with that spacing.  Also,  hubby found me a square foot gardening book online and i plan to study that to see just how much i can cram or not cram into how much space.

So,  between studying that and re-plotting my graphs....  i have stuff to do this weekend.

I'm also looking forward to getting a dog. I'm anxious to get her here and get the cat used to her so she can blend in as a seamless part of the family. Transitions make me nervous, so i like to just get things going...  but we thought it would be best for her family to spend as much time with her as they can, so we won't have her until a bit before they begin packing up.

Ok, off to play with graph paper, rulers and pencils...