Backyard Herbalist! I will sit here and learn with you! I have been in zone 5 a/b for three years, but DH Tony and I have not done as much as we want to with veggies. I tend to be all about flowers, but this year we are planning on building a raised veggie bed. Tony had some success in year one, but we learned that we are on what used to be the river bed, so there is no soil... only rocks, thus the raised bed. Our growing season might be a little longer than yours, but it's pretty short (compared to where we used to live in Arizona!). So, again, welcome, and thanks for asking the questions!
Also, thanks to Rick for that very helpful information! You rock!