Starting new veggie garden - help!

Need to know about placement of the garden. I have 2 sites in mind on our property. One receives full sun only a couple of hrs per day and partial sun the rest, but is close to a water source. It is also close to my house. The other spot receives full sun all day, but is not close to a faucet. I will have to run new water lines or have long lengths of hoses across the driveway, etc. Also, it is not close to my house. What advice could you give?? p.s. we are in South Texas where the sun nearly always shines.

Blue47, when you say "partial sun", what do you mean? When it's not in full sun, is it in light shade, complete shade, or some combination of the two? I'm asking because I've got a garden area that gets light, filtered shade for much of the day, and am having some success with growing sun veggies there. Of course, this is in Tucson, AZ, where full sun is often too much sun for lots of things! If you're in a dry area, watering is *critical*, so that's definitely a point to consider--here, we average 11" annually. Mostly in 1 month of summer and 1 month of winter. Irrigation on timers is a must for us, if we want a successful garden that's not a pain in the hiney!

I will say that my filtered-sun veggies are usually a little behind and a little less prolific than my more-sun veggies, but it's a case of making do with what I"ve got!

There's my 2 cents, and good luck!

Thanks for the advice. We are near San Antonio - so not as hot year round as you are. However, my full sun area is full sun for @ 14 to 15 hrs per day. Is that too much?? My partial sun area is what I would call filtered shade. I guess I just don't want to go to the expense & time to set up a permanent garden in the wrong place.

I am in Tucson too. My garden has over 20 different kinds of veggies and fruits. I placed it where it only gets full sun until about 2pm and then the shade slowly starts to cover it the later in the day it gets, usually fully shaded about 6pm. We really have to do that because as Jill said, our full sun is way too intense and the plants need a break. I was able to dig up the existing drip system and fasten it with soaker hoses that work on a timer. You can make any place the right place, it just takes a little bit of manipulation.

Thanks growingup! Are soaker hoses the right way to go? I was definitely planning on a timer.

IMHO, soaker hoses are the best way to water your garden. If you use a sprinkler during the day, most of your water will evaporate into the air, and at night it will get your plants wet at a time when they can't dry off and this can result in problems with mold and mildew. The soaker hoses will get your ground nice and wet without any of these problems. I arrange soaker hoses around all my veggies after they are planted and then lay a good thick layer of wheat straw (or whatever mulch you prefer) over the top of them so I can leave them all summer.

I use a simple drip water system by Raindrip. It keeps plants evenly moist, uses little water, inexpensive, and versatile. Let me know if you want more detail.

Oh, and a bit about my soaker system. I use 1/4" soaker hoses since it is hooked up to a 1/4" drip system. For plants that require a bit deeper watering, I poke tiny holes with a pin into the soaker hose right at the base of plants. It does a really good job of keeping everything alive, even out here in Arizona.

I put together a little drip system for my patio plants using a 1/4" soaker hose. It works well while we are out of town. I guess this would work just as well on the veggie garden. Can't wait to get it all together. Thanks for the input on the hoses tigpie & growingup.