YOUR FIRST LITTLE PROJECT

Start with what
you’d love to grow.

A few useful starting points. No quiz, no special equipment, and no need for a big backyard.

A little something for dinner.

For kitchen snips, try basil or chives. Leaf lettuce and radishes suit a cool spell. A sunny patio can also hold strawberries or a compact blueberry in its own acidic potting mix.

Ocimum basilicumHerbs

Basil

A sunny pot, a handful for dinner.

Nursery startWarm weather
See the growing steps
A clump of common chives with slender green leaves and round purple flower heads.Herbs

Chives

Snip a few leaves. Finish dinner.

Nursery clumpPerennial herb
See the growing steps
Bright green, loose ruffled leaves of Ashbrook lettuce growing in soil.Vegetables

Leaf lettuce

Four small plants. Pick a few leaves for lunch.

SeedsCool weather
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Small round red radishes growing at the soil surface beneath green leaves.Vegetables

Radish

Nine little roots. A satisfying first harvest.

SeedsCool weather
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Red ripe and pale unripe strawberries hanging beneath green leaves.Fruit

Strawberry

A sunny pot and a few ripe berries to pick yourself.

Nursery plantOutdoor seasonal crop
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A cluster of ripe blue and unripe green blueberries beside a fresh green leaf.Fruit

Blueberry

One compact bush, with summer berries and colorful leaves.

Nursery shrubOutdoor fruit shrub
See the growing steps

A little flower garden.

Have a garden bed? Start with one shrub rose or Little Lime hydrangea. For sun, try a zonal geranium or compact snapdragon. For bright shade, try wax begonia or impatiens. Each guide starts with one clear planting plan.

A red original Knock Out rose opening its layered petals against a soft garden-center background.Flowers

Shrub rose

A flowering shrub to build a garden around.

Nursery shrubSpring through frost
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A conical cluster of creamy white Little Lime hydrangea flowers among fresh green leaves.Flowers

Panicle hydrangea

Big summer flower heads on one compact shrub.

Nursery shrubSummer into fall
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Coral-pink zonal geranium flowers held in rounded clusters above scalloped green leaves.Flowers

Geranium

Classic patio flowers in one easy pot.

Nursery plantWarm-season flowers
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White snapdragon flowers with small yellow throats clustered along green stems.Flowers

Snapdragon

Little flower spikes for the cooler part of the year.

Nursery plantBest in cool spring or fall
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A pink wax-begonia flower with yellow stamens above glossy bronze-green leaves.Flowers

Begonia

Small flowers for a sheltered, partly shaded corner.

Nursery plantFlowers until cold weather
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Violet-pink impatiens flowers with small white centers among oval green leaves.Flowers

Impatiens

A bright little flower pot for the shade.

Nursery plantWarm, frost-free weather
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A greener corner at home.

Try spider plant for arching leaves, ZZ plant if you tend to forget watering, or Christmas cactus for seasonal flowers. Monstera needs more room to spread. All need a useful light source. Check each guide’s pet note before choosing.

A spider plant with arching green-and-white striped leaves and hanging plantlets.Houseplants

Spider plant

A fountain of leaves, with little plants to share.

Small plantIndoor plant
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A potted ZZ plant with upright stems and glossy green leaflets.Houseplants

ZZ plant

Glossy green leaves. Plenty of time between drinks.

Small plantIndoor plant
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Trailing vine with green and yellow, heart-shaped leaves.Houseplants

Pothos

A little green for your bookshelf.

Small plantIndoor plant
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FormHouseplants

Snake plant

For the gardener who sometimes forgets.

Small plantIndoor plant
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Pendant pink Christmas-cactus flowers hang from flattened green stems with rounded, scalloped edges.Houseplants

Christmas cactus

One small plant, with flowers to look forward to each winter.

Nursery plantIndoor flowering plant
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A potted Monstera deliciosa with glossy green leaves split into deep lobes and natural holes.Houseplants

Monstera

Big green leaves, with a simple check-before-watering routine.

Nursery plantIndoor climbing plant
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These are general starting points.

Your light, weather, and space still matter. Open a plant’s guide for its planting plan and the few conditions that make it work.