If you’ve thought about delving into gardening but don’t know quite where to start, you’re in the right place. Any kind of gardening—whether you want to grow houseplants or herbs, flowers or vegetables—can be a fun, relaxing hobby. And, gardening engages the senses and helps create a sense of well being. If you’re a beginning gardener, it’s easy to be intimidated by where to start and how to care for plants. The Garden offers many resources to get you growing. Let’s dig in.

Start Small

Don’t have space to garden outdoors? Start indoors with pint-sized houseplants. You can find them at garden centers, big box stores, and at many grocery stores. Succulents and tropicals offer fascinating foliage, and potted herbs are useful and attractive. There are miniature houseplants that can fit on a windowsill. Larger specimens like palms, rubber plants, and ficus trees can be grown indoors and outside once the weather is warm. And, for first-time indoor gardeners, we have a plant story for you.

 

Outdoors

If you have a small space outdoors to flex your green thumbs—around a patio, on a deck, on a balcony or near an entryway—growing plants in pots is a good way to add color and a little pizzazz. Flanking a walkway or a front door with large plant-filled containers creates an inviting space.

 

Choosing Containers

Invest in large durable pots. Soil in containers that are less than two feet tall and wide dry out very quickly in hot weather, which can lead to plant stress. And, choose pots with drainage holes. If there’s no way for water to run out, the soil at the bottom can become water-logged and roots will rot. Fill the pot with lightweight, soil-less potting mix that’s available at garden centers. Not sure how much to water? If the potting mix feels dry when you poke a finger a few inches down into it, it’s time to water. If you choose a ceramic or terra cotta pot but live in an area where the temperature dips below freezing, you’ll want to empty the container in autumn, and store it in a garage, shed or basement to prevent it from cracking.

 

Raised Beds

Perhaps you’d like to start growing herbs, vegetables, or a create a little garden to attract butterflies. How about starting with a 4- by 4-foot raised bed or a small metal trough? You can purchase a raised bed or make your own from rot-resistant cedar planks. The initial cost is the bed, the potting mix to fill it, the seeds or plants, a trowel, a watering can or hose, and a pair of gardening gloves. Start small and you’ll feel a sense of pride at your accomplishments.

The View from Indoors

Not sure where to start? Take a look from the windows in your living room, dining area, kitchen or bedrooms. What do you look out onto? Could the spot benefit from a small garden that you’ll enjoy from indoors as well? How about a bird bath, a large container, or a sundial surrounded by flowers? Maybe there’s an area alongside a fence or the garage that you see. Take a few photos from indoors, print copies, and have some fun drawing on them as you plan your future creations.

Other things to consider

If it’s in full sun most of the day, there are many perennial and annual flowers you can grow. If it’s in shade, you’ll want to pick shade-tolerant plants. But no matter what you decide to plant, keep your first outdoor garden on the small side so it’s not overwhelming the first year. Consider how much time you’ll have during the growing season for preparing the soil, planting or sowing seeds, watering and weeding. Plan on spending about 30 minutes a week during your first season as a gardener. If you enjoy it and have more time, think about expanding the existing garden or creating another one.

Nina Koziol is a garden writer and horticulturist who lives and gardens in Palos Park, Illinois