10 x 10 seems very small, so I would say this would be one of your biggest factors in choosing what to grow. You mean 10 x 10 feet, right? Given your small gardening space, I would say stick with things that really taste much better when they're home grown. A lot of gardenwebbers may disagree with me, but I find a lot of veggies at the supermarket to be sufficient - I can't see how carrots or celery or onions or broccoli etc. could be so much better when home grown (unless you wait for them to sweeten after the first frost, which some vegetables do - you'll learn about that as you read about gardening) On the same note, you could also focus on things that are overpriced at the supermarket compared to how easy they are to grow. Furthermore, you live in a pretty cold part of the country, so you'll be happy to know that there are a few vegetables that laugh heartily in the face father winter. In the taste department, the big ones are tomatoes. Nothing compares to a real ripened garden tomato; the tomatoes at the supermarket are little red lies - they're picked green to be able to ship well and then made red with ethylene (the ripening hormone). Ethylene ripening works well for most (botanic) fruits, but it's pointless if the fruit (the tomato, in this case) hasn't even MATURED yet! Tomatoes are definitely the one thing that all gardeners and even most of the general populace would agree taste so much better when you grow them yourself. I also find that peppers (capsicum) that I grow are much tastier than the supermarket kind. They're much sweeter and more flavorful. But I can get good peppers because it regularly gets pretty hot and humid here in NJ in the summers, and peppers need that to be really tasty. In the price department you've got shallots and leeks. Definitely overpriced at the supermarket. With shallots, you grow them like garlic, plant the "cloves" during very cool whether when the spring is starting and the days are lengthening (alliums are instigated to grow their bulbs by increasing daylengths). With leeks, you'll need to shore up the dirt or provide some kind of cover to blanch the stalks, but otherwise similarly easy to grow like other alliums. And leeks are one of the cold-hardiest crops. You can leave them in the ground throughout the beginning of the winter and harvest as needed. You plant them in the summer to mature in the autumn/winter, just remember they take a long time to mature, about 4 months. And that increasing daylengths rule doesn't apply since the leek is a stalk, not a storage bulb. All aliums have the added benefit that wildlife don't generally eat them. For cole crops/brassicas, I would recommend you start with collards and/or kale. Both these are closer to their wild ancestors and much more pest/disease resistant than their more refined cousins. Kale also laughs in the face of winter. And both these will be sweeter after a frost (by the way, by frost we mean frosty weather, generally when the temp goes below 40). I would also recommend radishes just because they're easy to grow and have such a fast growth rate - they're mature in three to four weeks. I disagree with the previous poster about beans/peas. They're easy enough to grow and save the seed, they're important to the garden because they add nitrogen to the soil, and they're generally well liked by everyone and quite nutritious. Peas can handle a decent amount of cold weather, so they can be planted when it's cold, before the bugs/pests come out. Green beans/snap beans are well liked by most people, but they are somewhat susceptible to garden pests. I would reccomend you try a more unusual, pest-hardy bean, like runner beans, which have the benefit of also being gorgeous. Most beans can be eaten in the "snap" or "green" stage like green beans if you pick them early enough. And like I said, it's easy enough to save the seed - just wait until the pods are dry and collect the dry peas/beans and save until next season. And just remember to soak the seeds/beans/peas in water to speed germination before you plant them next season. You don't need to worry about cross-pollination of different varieties because most legumes (beans/peas) are self-pollinated, ESPECIALLY peas (I just looked at a pea blossom for the first time here the other day in my grandmother's garden - all the flowers parts are protected inside a flower petal shell, so bugs can't ever get to them). Also remember that legumes usually need a support structure to climb up. You might also want to put in some herbs, which are pretty easy to grow. Mints will definitely grow in your area, as will sage, though I think you're at its cold-hardiness limit, and maybe thyme. You can forget keeping rosemary as an outdoor perennial in your bitter cold. I myself love the smell of lemon balm, which I think is hardy to zone 4, but like mint it is a spreader and can become weedy. Lovage is a nice herb that you could grow, though more susceptible to pests than other herbs. And of course the annuals parsley, dill, and cilantro (though parsley is a biennial and I think might survive winters in your are - so you might be able to save seed if you're interested) Above all read up on gardening as much as you can. If you don't understand something, try googling it. Buy some books. I, like you, don't have much room to garden, and have only gardened two seasons, but I read nonstop so I'm pretty well versed on all the how-to's and what-to-do's.

Here is a little info on it. Thanks everyone for the rapid replies, I was a convinced at first it was good stuff but now I am a little woried. BioComp BioComp®, a Class I quality compost, is a stabilized organic material that can be used with all plant types and in any type of soil (sandy to clay). This compost (screened 3/8 inch minus) greatly enhances overall soil structure and improves movement of air and water within the soil  essential to healthy plant growth. When salts are a critical design factor, BioComp® is the compost of choice. Low salts also mean that you can safely double the amount of compost used and still have vigorous plant growth. Salt in BioComp® are primarily from nutrient salts and not sodium chloride, as indicated by an ag index greater than 10. BioComp® is listed by the Colorado Department of Agriculture as an amendment approved for use on Organically Certified Crops. Independent testing by Colorado State University confirm that BioComp® safely provides higher levels of nutrients. Application Rates: As a Top Dressing  BioComp® can be used as a top dressing, however the large particles limit its use to where grass is mowed high.  1/4" to 3/8 (1 to 2 CY/1000 sq ft) As a Soil Amendment  BioComp® can be used at any time of the year, in any type of soil. It is especially well suited for use in clay soils where it can be used at twice the normal application rate.  3 CY/1000 sq ft or 1" Deep  6 CY/1000 sq ft or 2" Deep As a Mulch This is one of the few composts that can be safely used an a mulch. It can be used for the protection of flower beds, especially perennials and sensitive root crops.  6 CY/1000 sq ft or 2" Inches Deep  12 CY/1000 sq ft or 4" Inches Deep (Fall application only. Till in the spring.) This compost product has been sampled and tested as required by the Seal of Testing Assurance Program of the United States Composting Council (USCC). Test results are available upon request by calling A1 Organics at 970-454-3492. Class I Compost

That looks great especially the hoop house you built over it. It might still be too cold for pumpkins and cucumbers. Also, pumpkins (and cucumbers) are larger plants; a vine might sprawl over the edge of your box and make its way toward that tree. Once the seeds have sprouted you can begin watering less frequently, perhaps 1-2 times per week or when the soil begins to dry out a few inches below the surface. One of those string lined squares will fit something like 15-40 carrots. Look into square foot gardening for more suggestions (there is a forum here for SFG as well as a book with the same title).

Fixing Link Here is a link that might be useful: Melinda's Garden