Question
QUESTION: I wanted to know what kind of vegetables that need to be planted indoors, i am growing a variety of things this year from tomatoes to pumpkins to melons, to green beans and i wanted to know which ones should be planted directly in the ground and which ones i should start indoors and transplant
ANSWER: Bill, you didn't mention what part of the country you are from, so I'll answer your question in general rather than based on your particular climate.

The general rule of thumb is to directly sow all cold-hardy and root vegetables. Cold-hardy vegetables include lettuce, peas, spinach, broccoli, and chard. Root vegetables include radishes, carrots, and beets. All of these can be sowed as soon as the soil is dry.

I also direct sow fast-growing vegetables such as beans, corn, and squash. These, however, are warm-weather plants and should not be sowed until your last expected frost date. For most residents in the midwest, this is after Memorial Day.

The vegetables that I sow indoors include peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes. These are slow-growing plants that cannot be planted into the garden until the soil is thoroughly warm. This is usually 1 to 2 weeks after your last frost.

Just be sure to harden off your plants prior to transplanting. This entails gradually acclimating your young seedlings to the outdoor conditions. I place my seedlings in a shaded area, such as under a porch or patio eave, for four hours the first day. I then extend that time by two hours each day while gradually exposing them to more sun. The reason for this is to prevent transplant shock and to shield the seedlings from sun scald. After one week of following these procedures, you can transplant the seedlings into the garden.

I hope this answered your question. Please write again if I can ever be of assistance.

Regards,

Mike

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: i live in New Jersey, what about pumpkins and watermelons, cantalopes stuff like that, cucumber as well.  is there any website that lists all of the info im asking about that i can look at.  

Answer
Bill, watermelon and pumpkins fall into the squash family. Attached is a website that lists planting times for all vegetables. Based on where you live, I would use May 20th as the frost date.

http://www.geocities.com/PicketFence/1441/timeline.html

Hope this helps.

Mike