“I’ve always was afraid of gardening. But then I decided to grow a pear.” ~Unknown
They say there are two guarantees in life: Death, and Taxes. I'd posit there are three... The two aforementioned, and the insatiable urge to plant your seedlings WAY too early at the first sign of "fake spring." A couple years prior, I ended
up with a veritable jungle because I'd gone bananas and planted eight tomatoes, six bell peppers, twelve various hot peppers, and multiple herbs in late February, and by May when they were ready to be transplanted, they'd taken over my dining room had started calling me Audrey.
The good news is, there ARE some plants you can start inside as early as mid February in Massachusetts (later in the colder zones, and even earlier in the warmer zones). Here's a link to a basic google sheet - the first tab has dates for when to start seeds indoors, when they can be transplanted, and when the direct sow seeds should go into the ground. The second tab charts out my two beds (4x8') and my bucket garden. And tab three is a list of all my various containers - this list changes hourly!
Just because you are limited on space, time, sun, and/or patience, doesn't mean you can't have an abundance of fresh and delicious vegetables. Cucumbers and peas and beans are a surefire way to find yourself up to your neck in crunchy delicious veggies with minimal effort. You can get them in container or bush varieties that you can toss in a little pot on your porch! Lettuce and chard and other leafy greens don't require a lot of time or sun and you can grow them in containers, AND as a bonus you don't even need to put them outside because they don't require pollination! You could grown them in a nice window box inside. Root veggies like radishes, potatoes, and beets are also super easy to grow and require minimal effort and are so delicious. Some amazing veggies like Asparagus (a personal fav of mine) are planted once and come back year after year! Don't let time or space (or lack thereof) be the a deterrent from starting your backyard/porch garden. While getting started may sound a bit daunting, hopefully this makes it feel a bit more accessible!