What is the difference between “сад” and “огород” in Russian?

English “garden” is two places at a Russian дача. Сад is where trees grow: apples, pears, cherries, plums. Огород is the vegetable patch: potatoes, carrots, cabbage. A typical dacha has both, plus a house on its plot (участок), and many families still grow a good part of their summer food there.

Огород comes from городить, “to fence off”: it was the fenced plot by the house, the same root as город, “town,” once a fortified place. An old idiom keeps it: городить огород, “to make a big fuss over nothing.” The teacher sums up: огород — это где растут овощи.