In my opinion, any garden that includes tomatoes and peppers is a good garden. If you plant more than one pepper, tomato, zucchini... plant different types. Than if you have an odd growing year, hopefully one of the types you planted does well. Figure out how long a growing season you have and choose your vegetables accordingly. Cherokee Purple Tomatoes are my favorite but they take 80 or 90 days to maturity (that's after you put the plant out). I would get one tomato and then they would freeze to death.
Corn: plant it in a block, the bigger the better. Plan to water and feed copiously. Those little threads at the top are each connected to a kernal on the inside of the ear. When the wind blows, the pollen will fall and the little silk thing it hits runs down and turns into a kernal on the other end. The ear is done when the "silks" start to wilt and dry. Popcorn is done when the stalk dries. You can feel the ear and tell is its full without peeling. You won't waste as much if you figure that out. Go practice at the grocery store - the produce guys love it when you peel all their corn.
If the weather is damp or humid, then you get Smut. Gross looking but a delicacy in Mexico.
My Mexican friends are always excited to see Smut. But they are excited to see Purslane too.
