Design
My approach to gardening is kind of a half-assed permaculture, using only native plants. I generally refer to the USDA's PLANTS Database to determine nativity, which does have serious issues unfortunately. Even when it is actually correct and up to date, it doesn't go more fine grained than state-by-state. I'll grow (or try to grow) literally anything native and edible, with no regard to palatability, ease of harvest, or yield. I also usually try to stick to unimproved/wild varieties where possible, for biodiversity reasons.
In a climate and bioregion like ours, it's unsurprising that most of what's native can be very finnicky about germination. The seeds of some species require a cold perod followed by a warm period followed by yet another cold period, before they'll even consider growing! Others require some form of damage to the hull. These are all adaptations to make sure the seeds don't try to grow at the wrong time or in the wrong conditions. It allows them to stay dormant through droughts and unusually warm winter days without being fooled into sprouting. Luckily for a renter like me, plenty of them prefer shade.
Beyond just cultivation, it's also been a serious learning experience trying to actually use most of this stuff. If someone gave you a bunch of raw corn on the cob and you had never heard of corn before, it would probably take you a few tries to figure out the best way to eat it! It's the same with a lot of the native foods around here. Let's say you taste some Virginia Peppergrass seeds and WOW, it's deliciously peppery! So of course you throw it in a pepper grinder and use it on some pasta. Hmm, now there's no spice at all... What gives? Well it turns out the spiciness of a Lepidium is not coming from a chemical, but rather from a chemical reaction. If you grind them up with anything other than your teeth, that reaction will have been and gone way before it ever hits your taste buds!