Next spring I plan to plant a garden in my yard. I'm thinking about a 20x50 so nothing too crazy. My plan is for yellow squash, sweet corn, tomatoes for canning juice, and green beans. I want to teach my daughters how to grow stuff and more importantly work and take care of something but the fresh food would be nice also.

Any tips or advice to get me started?

Start smaller. If you do, say a 10x10 and want to go further then expand a bit. Don’t go too far and have it be a huge pain in the ass to kill what should be enjoyable. Beyond that, research what grows well in your area, what plants need drainage, etc. I’ll leave it simple like this. If you have any specific questions lay it on us.

Make sure you have a good fence in place, particularly if there are deer in your area.

Right now is a good time to get started. When the leaves come down, I like to pile them up a few inches deep right where my garden goes. It helps choke out weeds and grass when things get started next spring, plus it breaks down and adds nutrients back to the soil.

If you start now, you can also plant a nitrogen fixing cover crop like winter field peas or crimson clover where you want to put your garden. They will improve your soil over the winter, and when they start to bloom out in the spring you chop them down a few weeks before you plant what you actually intend to grow over the summer.

I've been a gardener since childhood. It is a big deal for my family. 20x50 is huge for your first time out. Not sure I would go that big. It will be a lot of work to do properly and might overwhelm you.

Corn in my experience is a PIA to grow, unless you grow a lot of it. It needs a certain amount of rows to germinate properly and just about everything wants to eat it. Squash/zucchini/cucumbers are really easy, but will take up a lot of room in your garden.

Growing tomatoes is my favorite. I grow enough to can roughly 120 quarts of juice and wholes every year. To grow them properly and get the best yields you will need to sucker them, tie them, and spray them with something like Sevin.

It is a good idea to get your soil tested at your local USDA satellite office to find out just what type of fertilizer you will need. Of course you can skip all of this, go the hippie route, and just huck seeds into the ground like my neighbors, but your garden will be a disaster, guaranteed.

Also, make sure you have access to water. It will need to be watered a lot if it is a dry year. Like every other day a lot.

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Start smaller. If you do, say a 10x10 and want to go further then expand a bit. Don’t go too far and have it be a huge pain in the ass to kill what should be enjoyable. Beyond that, research what grows well in your area, what plants need drainage, etc. I’ll leave it simple like this. If you have any specific questions lay it on us.

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This. Consider raised beds with good soil. You will learn all about insects. Do not overwater. Drip irrigation is best. Buy the small plants from a nursery NOT Home Depot. Ask them what varieties grow best in your area. Forget corn. Start with tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and bell peppers. Have fun.

I have been working the same garden plot for 30 years by myself, and 20 years before that with my Dad and Mom. I agree with those above who feel 20x50 is too big, cut that in half at least. The key to a rewarding garden is soil treatment and condition, start composting now for organic materials that can be added in 2023. Composting is, in and of itself, a skill to be mastered. Make friends with your long-handled spade, you will turn a lot of soil together.

I too would advise to reconsider your choice of crops to attempt. Do not underestimate the amount of space the vining plants (squash, cukes, and God forbid watermelons) take, realizing that what they occupy is unavailable for more desirable plantings. Corn too takes a lot of room for the returns, it is also very hard on the soil. Bush beans are much easier to manage/control than pole beans, although yields are lower. Tomatoes and peppers provide greater rewards. If you are inclined to multi-crop, you can usually get a harvest of lettuce, radishes, scallions, etc. before putting in the summer stuff.

WRT the summer stuff, start from nursery-bought seedlings rather than seeds, and don't plant too early. In NoVA, I put these in around May 10, probably a week or two before you can do so in Shenandoah.

Make friends with your local extension agent. He can advise on best times to plant, soils in your area, and many other considerations specific to your area.

Oh yeah, and as for deer, of which I hear that there are a few in your area. They will consider your garden their personal salad bar. I use a motion sensor sprinkler that works OK. If you go the fence route, think 8' high.

The “Dutch Bucket” type garden might be worth a try. I was going to give it a whirl before I got sidelined with ticker trouble.
You’ll be amazed how well it works.
Dutch Buckets

The soil here is clay, with an unholy amount of rocks. I've had really good luck with raised beds, using the square foot method, which also cut way down on weeding. Also make a lot of compost. Making the beds into hoop houses allowed me to start early, I was getting my first yields when everyone else was starting to plant, and the hoops protected my plants from a heavy snow.

One of my favorite gardening books was ‘Square Foot Gardening’ Mel Bartholomew, back in the day. I now see they have a whole site dedicated to square foot gardening.

https://squarefootgardening.org/

Even if you don’t follow all the details, there are plenty of tidbits to benefit from.

When I was into it I would start under protective plastic & such. I would be harvesting cool weather crops when others hadn’t even started planting yet.

Get the dirt tested by your local extension office. They will tell you what you need to add to your soil. Also, start smaller and build up.

20x50 is pretty large for a 1st garden. If you go that large consider renting a rototiller and buy a lot of weed blocker fabric (best quality that you can find, it will not be cheap) Weeding isn't a great deal of fun.

An alternate idea is to build some 4x8 raised beds. You will have better control of the soil and weeds. Also don't have to bend over so much. Raised beds work well with square foot gardening

ask around and find some family that has been gardening for decades,get guidance on what works for them.
I would suggest the local mom & pop feed and seed store for starters.
I sell my okra and tomatoes at our in season farmers market for many years,I am known for this and dole out much advice on the subject.The county extension office for leads but be ware they like to advise on fertilizer and herbicides
Dosent work for me because I am organic in my practices.

There's a free webinar you might want to watch:
https://thegrownetwork.com/i-c...r/?oid=117&affid=127

Set up a Johnson-Su “bioreactor”/compost pile.

I don’t have to turn mine, if it gets enough water.

Also, I charcoal my leaves. In part, I have to do something with them, but I also need soil carbon.

I can get all the stall muckings I want. Not the greatest fertilizer, but not a bad thing to compost.

Be sure anything diseased stays out of your compost.

Ambrosia sweet corn if you like sweet, mixed corn.

Get some insecticide (powder) to plant with the seed.
Nitrogen 28 sprayed in between the rows, about 6-8" from the row. Then again after its about a foot tall. Just a nice stream in between the rows (6-8" away). Do NOT get it on the leaves.
Impact for weed control, use as directed. It will not harm the corn if used correctly. Its only like an ounce per gallon. Spary this a couple times and it should take care of any weeds. Make sure to read the label, as you can't use it within so many days of harvest.
Pour some water on the rows every night and you should end up with a very nice end product.
Pick the ears of corn when the silk starts turning brown. Pulling back the husk to check for readiness.

Go MUCH smaller, gardens are a LOT of work! I also suggest raised beds, go to the library or book store and read up on how to construct. Stay with 4'X 8' so you don't have to step into bed to reach everything. My ex demanded 5' x 10' and then griped about how bad her back hurt while gardening. Seriously look into the type of bed that is elevated off the ground so you don't need to bend at all. A friend built those after having ground level beds for years and his wife said it was the best thing he ever did for her. Also check out books on square foot gardening, it is an epiphany regarding how efficient gardening can be.

Gardening is FUN. Lots of good advice so far. I’ll just add that starting off small is a good idea. If you are fortunate enough to live near a few farmers markets it’s a good idea in the spring when they open up again to talk to your local farmers about any tips and tricks they have for growing.

I’ve gotten tons of excellent growing advice from my local farmers. Growing your own food is quite fun and in my experience often tastes better than store bought produce. Good luck.

To me gardening is done not just for the produce you harvest but because you enjoy the process even more and the harvest is a bonus. I never had a interest in starting a garden because it is after all a lot of work. And if you don't enjoy that kind of work the hobby soon becomes a task and no fun. Besides you can buy the same stuff at all the farmers markets in the quantity you need for a reasonable price and not have to worry about what to do with the excess.

With that being said my daughter wanted to start a small salsa garden up at the lake this past summer. I knew right away who the caretaker of this garden was going to be as she and the family would be there mostly just on weekends while I spend most of the summer there.
I talked her husband into buying her a self watering elevated garden for starters. Takes minimal input and yielded impressive results. She planted bell peppers, cilantro and jalapenos and banana peppers in the elevated garden. Then she grew tomato plants in three five gallon buckets. Yes I had to water now and again and move the tomato buckets on occasion but that was about it. Wound up with more produce than our two families could handle and wound up giving away the rest.

This is the elevated garden she used last year. It holds six gallons of water in a reservoir and the plants drew from it when they needed it. Worked out perfect as if I knew I wasn't going to be there for a few days I just made sure it was filled before I left. Considering how hot this past summer was it worked out fantastic!

My kids enjoy starting our seeds indoors and watching them grow. Not everything germinated well due to our lack of experience. Those plants were replaced by nursery stock. There are lots of good videos on YouTube. One of our favorites is MI Gardener. Good luck!