Hi, I’m Ed Bruske. And we’re talking about how you can grow your own vegetable garden. Right now, I’d like to talk about what kind of things you want to plant. And first, you might think what are the kinds of things that you like to eat, that would be the easiest. I think one of the mistakes that a lot of beginning gardeners make is they want to plant some of everything and it really gets to be a little bit part to manage.

So, my first bit of advice would be keep it simple. Stick with things that you like and things that you recognize and things that you can easily manage. You also want to plant things that are appropriate for your area. By that I mean, if you live in one kind of extreme climate or another, some things might not work for you.

Here in Washington DC, they can get very hot and humid in the summer. We have some issues with fungi such as powdery mildew back that I’ve planted squashes in my garden and come out of times and it looks like a snowfield out here because of all the mildew. Well, since I’ve stopped planting winter squash in my garden, I stick with cucumbers. Those are the kind of choices you make so that you are successful in the garden and aren’t battling nature all the time.

Another good way to find out what works in your area and what might be appropriate is to ask other gardeners. Maybe hang out with one of the local community gardeners where people have been planting vegetables for a long time. Ask them. Pick their brain. Get some advice from them about the kind of things that worked in your area.

Vegetables are divided into two different types. There are cool weather vegetables like lettuce and radishes that like cool weather in the spring and the fall and they really don’t like hot weather. They tend to go to seed. Then there are the hot weather vegetables such as tomatoes and cucumbers, summer squash. They really thrive when it's hot and don’t do so well when it's cold. And they all tend to germinate either in the fall, spring, or in the summer according to the temperatures.

Another difference to consider are perennial vegetables versus annuals. Perennials are vegetables like asparagus and rhubarb. They come back a year after year with very little work on the part of the gardener. Those are great things to have. And most of the vegetables we know are annuals, meaning they complete their cycle from growing from seed to plant to producing seed all in one year. Perennials, you want to keep in the back of the garden where they won’t be disturbed. The annuals, you can plant throughout your vegetable beds and along the borders.

Next, we’re going to talk about starting seeds indoors.