Congratulations and welcome to gardening! Start by talking to the help at your nearest nursery or garden center. The local growing conditions and climate of your area will determine what you should try to grow. Your area will have a climate zone given to it by the department of Agriculture and this helps you to know if you have hot summers so that heat lovers such as peppers, tomatoes and egg plant will be easy to grow or cooler summers so that leaf crops such as spinach, peas and lettuce will grow better. My other recommendation is to look for starter plants rather than seeds this summer. You can find already growing starts of many vegetables from Bonnie Plants at many garden centers and home centers. Use potting soil in your planter and mix in some Osmocote slow release plant food when you plant. We do not have any free samples to give away to individuals but you can ask at the garden center if they have any broken bags of potting soil to sell you at a discount. Finally, start looking for neighbors that are growing vegetables. Finding a local gardener to mentor you and answer questions is one of the best ways to learn about growing in your area. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti