What's actually worth growing in a backyard garden?
We have about a quarter acre in Ohio, mostly flat, decent sun in the backyard. This year I finally stopped ignoring the back corner and want to put in a real productive garden, not just a few tomato plants in containers.
The goal is actual yield, stuff that earns its square footage. I've been looking at raised beds mainly because the soil here is clayheavy and I don't want to fight it all season. Planning maybe four 4x8 beds to start.
What I keep going back and forth on is what to actually grow. I cook a lot so herbs and garlic are obvious, and I want at least one bed dedicated to something that can store or preserve well going into fall. Squash, potatoes, something like that.
The homesteading side of this is pretty modest for me right now. Suburban lot, no livestock, just trying to get more of our food from our own land where possible. Curious what you all found actually worth the effort versus what sounds good but ends up being more trouble than the output justifies. Cucumbers I've heard can go either way depending on the season.