Do you have suggestions on easy plants to grow for a beginning gardener?

Depending on where you are at in NW PA, you are either zone 5a or 5b (I'm in SW PA, zone 5b), so when you are looking for plants, check what zones they are rated for and that will help you find plants that should do fairly well in your area (anything zone 5 should be good). Also, you're going to need to know how long your growing season is (how many days) and that will give you a good idea of what you will need to start in the house early (and how early) and what can be direct sown and still be harvested before first frost. I'd start with tomatoes, peppers, radishes, leaf lettuce, spinach, bunching onions and herbs (they'll grow pretty much anywhere). These things will do well in pots or in the ground and they don't require a lot of fussing over. If you have the room, zucchini will grow for anybody and squashes & potatoes are pretty easy too.

I am in Erie, Pa. Brr.... lol.... Potatoes would be great for us, we eat a TON of them. I had planed on tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, cucumbers, zucchini, herbs, and strawberries. Thanks for the information on zoning!

Herbs like lemon balm, peppermint, even oregano are pretty hardy and can be container grown. These can be invasive plants. I love plants that you can run your hands over and smell them!

Me too!!! I also hear that plants like that keep the pest away.

Sounds like a good garden to start with. When purchasing strawberries, there are two kinds, everbearing & Junebearing. Everbearing varieties are good for fresh eating throughout the season b/c they will produce a little bit of fruit constantly all season, but Junebearing varieties set their fruit all at once, so you get a big single harvest, which is better for canning. Lettuce does best in early Spring & Fall, but not so well in the Summer b/c it is too hot & the lettuce will bolt, but if you have leaf lettuce in a pot and can provide shade, then you can cut all season. Unless you get a bush variety, provide the cucumers with a trellis to climb & you'll get better fruit & more of it. Stake your tomatoes from the getgo to encourage an upward growth habit for more fruit. Certain herbs are very invasive, like all the mints, so plant in pots preferably. Companion planting with marigolds & nasturtiums can keep pests down.

Hi new to gardening kind of but try starting lettuce indoors now or garlic they like the cool air. Get some impatience and primrose too! Crocus are adoreable!

Patio Tomatoes or Roma Tomatoes are great for containers but make sure you get large (I mean LARGE) pots. Stakes, too. Plant marigolds with the tomatoes as they are companion plants that help each other thrive.

Sweet bell peppers are great container plants, too. Medium pots.

Mint should ALWAYS be in a container or sectioned off with lawn border sunk into the ground as the new growth grows along the top of the soil. Most mints can take care of themselves with basic watering but they do love shady places.

Rosemary is hardy as it is a drought tolerant plant. My rosemary from this summer finally gave up the ghost in mid January! Both work well in medium pots. Basil -small to medium pots. Moist soil, sunlight, careful about getting the leaves wet in the sun.

Zinnias are a great, hardy summer plant. Alyssum is great for pots and ground cover.

I live in the Northern Panhandle of WV, so I am not too far off your zone

Roma Tomatoes are my favorite, they make a wonderful sauce! Thanks for all this information!