So you want to grow a garden this year, but you're not sure about a few things. Those shiny seed catalogs and website pictures are almost overwhelming! How do we pick things that will actually do well in our area? How do we know what will be tasty and where can we get it? I've written about garden planning here. In this article, I'll discuss plant and seed selection and where to get them. 

To learn more about growing your own food, check out our Home Agriculture Comprehensive.

What do you want to grow?

When it comes to deciding what you want to grow in your garden, I live by a simple mantra: grow what you eat and eat what you grow. What's the point of all the work if not to eat it?

If you're not sure, there's an exercise that I recommend for my students: the food list. Write down everything on your plate over the course of one week that can be grown. If you're eating a salad, write down the components. You should be able to create a decent list of what you actually eat that can be grown in a garden.