If this is your first year to grow vegetables, you are in luck.

Many terrific new varieties are out there. Some of them are so much fun that even children who reject everything except macaroni and cheese will be interested.

For example, cauliflower just bores me. If I'm going to grow vegetables to save grocery money, it will be tomatoes or asparagus or lettuce or something else fun to eat.

But even I can't resist purple cauliflower. Park Seed calls this one Graffiti.

It needs sun and cool fall temperatures to produce this great color, but the purple hangs around even after the vegetable is steamed, sauteed or lightly boiled. Visit parkseed.com.

Grow these potatoes in your garden

While you're planning your vegetable plot, here's a potato to consider.

Prairie Blush won a Green Thumb Award from the Mailorder Gardening Association.

This is a variant of Yukon Gold potatoes and is good roasted, fried or boiled.

Prairie Blush is available as seed potatoes or grown out and ready to cook from Wood Prairie Farm.

This is the place that also sells red, white and blue potatoes. And the colors are both inside and out. Call (800) 829-9765 or www.woodprairie.com.

Check out other award winners at www.mailordergardening.com.

New ideas abound for your home

No matter what you would like to do to your home and garden this year, you can get ideas and leads on contractors and products at The Old House New House Home Show.

Lou Manfredini, "Mr. Fix-It," who has a Saturday morning radio show on WGN-AM 720 and is on the Today Show, will speak at 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8.

One of Manfredini's predictions is that the desire to protect the environment and to save energy will continue to grow. This means increased demand for paints, cleaners and building materials that are environmentally friendly, he said.

The show is 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8.

It will be at Pheasant Run Resort, 4051 E. Main St. (North Avenue or Route 64) in St. Charles. Admission is $7; $4 for seniors aged 62 and up, and free for children under 18.

For more information, visit kennedyproductions.com or call (630) 515-1160.

- Deborah Donovan