Nursing & Crazy Late Harvest on Purpose

We are starting SFG this year, have our boxes all ready now, got all the seeds in hand, have started some tomato seedlings on the windowsill, a couple squares going, and now have to decide how to time our planting because...we will not be here during the summer.

We have a gardener who will be living on our farm/property taking care of the big jobs in the orchard, etc, while we return to the States for the summer, so the first fruits will be his. He will be able to give basic care like watering and weeding. We leave mid-June and will return in mid-September.

In any event, we will be planting things like
TOMATOES
POTATOES (bags)
MELON
WATERMELON
OKRA
PUMPKIN
BEANS
LETTUCE
POLE BEANS
KALE
CABBAGE
BASIL
SQUASH
ZUCCHINI
BEETS
CORN
ONIONS

I have been using MotherEarth Vegetable Garden planner, so it shows me when to sow outdoors/harvest, etc. According to this plan, I can plant up to the time we leave and harvest even after we return, up to 2.5 months after for some of the veggies.

We have a big family, and (don't laugh) have 117 squares we want to plant before we leave. We plan to stagger the planting, so we have a 'continual' harvest--some for the gardener and his wife, and some available right when we get back.

My first question is this: which ones of these I list need the most "nursing" in the early stages, where I would need to be there to help guide them. I'm planning on getting the tomatoes going up a trelllis before I leave.

My second is: which ones need tending the whole way through, and can't succeed with moderate neglect?

Here's my plan:

Thx


full plan
http://gardenplanner.motherearthnews.com/garden-plan.aspx?p=374190

I can make a few suggestions and hopefully more will follow, I am not familiar with all of these veggies. Get late season potatoes and those should be good when you get back they don't require special attention one you have them hilled. Your lettuce, kale, and cabbage could bolt if it gets too warm because they like cooler weather so I would plant them where they will be shaded by larger plants. If you plant some beets now them have your gardener harvest and replant them you could probably get two batches of them! Corn and onions don't need special attention. The beans need picked regularly or they will stop producing. And your melons and pumpkins should be fine if planting time is planned accordingly! Good luck and happy planting!

Forgot to mention the basil will probably bolt to so you might want the gardener to harvest it and freeze it for for you. Or I wonder if it could just hang dry

I did this in reverse. Had my garden all planted and then got called for a 4 month trip to Austria. Here's my story when I came back.

https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t9233-is-there-anything-as-sad-as-an-abandoned-sfg

Kay