I had to think when I saw this, DesertGirl, "Well, just look at a seed catalog."
After looking at a couple of my favorites . . . I realize that to get you to buy melon seed, a seed company is going to show you a melon, sliced open, glistening with sweetness. To make a sale on corn seed, they are going to show you a lovely ear with husk, and even the silk, carefully removed. No seed company will show you a corn plant.
I don't know if the Cornell Growing Guides will come thru for you with every vegetable but you can give them a try. They have some of the best gardening information on the web, to my way of thinking.