How do I plant a garden?

This is my first time planting anything. I live in Southern Vermont and want to plant 2 separate gardens. I have a flower box about 5' x 3' lined in pressure treated wood. I also have a large area behind my house to plant veggies. I know I need to get this done ASAP for prime gardening time, but where do I start? What's the easiest to go with for this first timer?

How do I plant a garden?
Tomatoes, green beans and yellow crookneck squash are easy to grow. Dig up your soil until it is very loose.


For each tomato plant, dig a hole about the size of a softball. Put in a tablespoon or so of 10-20-10 fertilizer and fill the hole with water. Put the plant in and finish filling with soil, tamping it down well around the roots. As the plants grow, stake them to keep them from falling over and breaking.


For green beans, dig a shallow trench the length of your garden, spread in some of the same fertilizer and drop the bean seeds about 6 inches apart. Cover with soil, mounding it up a bit along the length of the row.


For squash, with your hoe make mounds a couple of feet apart about the diameter of a basketball and 3 or 4 inches high; level the top of the mounds. Push 5 or 6 squash seeds into separate places in each mound to a depth of about 2 inches. Spread dirt over each mound to cover the seeds. Water well and watch 'em grow.