Question
I just moved to a suburb of Chicago and have found that the ground is black as night so I'm excited about planting a garden, except for the fact that I have very little ground in my backyard that the previous owners didn't cover up with concrete.  I have a long strip of dirt that runs the length of my garage and is fenced on the other side.  It's about 4 feet wide by 15 feet long.  I don't believe it gets a lot of direct sunlight.  I"m wondering if it's feasible to plant a garden here and still have room to manuever through it.  If I can have what I want, I'd like to have a berry patch for raspberries and strawberries, and some flowers.  I love clematis and the fence could hold it if it would grow in this climate and would like other flowers such as tulips or other colorful ones.  

Can I do this?  Please advise...thanks!  

Answer
Erika,

Form the description of your sapce I believe you have a light issue.  The plants that you want to plant have higher light requirements.

But don't worry there are options.  Hostas and ferns would be a nice choice from the standpoint of tolerating the lower light and will not over grow the space.

Go to a local garden center and take a look at some of the great varieties for you to choose from.

Good luck

Gary