I've been pondering over this idea for awhile and am hoping to try it (maybe) this year.

Square Foot Gardening

The concept is simple, you create a box (the most common seems to be a 4x4), add soil, add a grid that divides it into 1 foot squares. You plant your items in those little grids. No weeding, very little tending, and takes up little space. I think it would be a fun option for the kids.

The one problem is that there is no spot other than my front yard that gets enough sunlight.