Hi, k. This site seems to have good basic info on gardening, and an automated GrowGuide that tells you when you need to start seeds, based on the average date of first frost in your area:
Weekend Gardener - Horticulture for Busy People
I used to do seeds indoors, but after 15 years of gardening, it's not as much fun as it used to be
We do sow seeds directly in the garden for lettuces, spinach and garden peas in February or so (we're in Zone 7). For the rest, I just buy small plants from a local nursery.
I still have fresh rosemary, sage, bay laurel, oregano and thyme in the herb garden - they're perennials here. I always plant lots of basil with the tomatoes - usually two roma plants, two Better Boy, and one heirloom variety (I try a different one each year). In April, the local unit of the Herb Society of America has a sale, so I get annual herbs there, like dill and flat-leaf parsley. And I have mint in a strawberry pot - sometimes it survives the winter, sometimes not. It's in a pot because otherwise it gets invasive.
We also plant bell peppers, onions and garlic (when garlic sprouts in the kitchen, you can plant it directly in the garden; harvest in about 6 months). We've done eggplant and zucchini in the past - we don't like eggplant that much and the zucchini seems to get squash borers all the time, so we don't do those anymore. Last year, we planted three tomatillo plants and got tons and tons of tomatillos. I gave several grocery bags' worth to friends who moved here from Colorado a few years ago.
Seems like there's more, but that's all I can think of right now.