Dwarf/small plants for small spaces. I spent years trying to grow regular sized tomatoes on a balcony and having them go totally wild. Now with dwarf tomatoes I can easily fit them in pots in my yard. Same with sweet peas- they make varieties that grow shorter, which is great if you don't have a super tall space to grow in.

In general find varieties that work for your space/garden and grow those. It's okay to not grow the same stuff as everyone else.

Also, grow potatoes in buckets. Gosh darn it but the home grown veg guy is right. It's just easier.