Regardless of how much space you have, from a cramped apartment, to a home with a couple of acres, it is possible to have a small garden. I'm sure you are wondering how that is possible if you live in an apartment and are unable to plant outdoors. Well, you may not be able to grow a full vegetable garden, but you can have a window garden with various herbs.
Personally, I am working at developing my green thumb. I have a history of not being very successful with growing plants or keeping them alive. So, I had to do some research on starting plants and am careful to follow care instructions for the individual plants (you might be surprised that different plants thrive in vastly different circumstances).
Now we will break down gardening for small spaces step-by-step.
Gather your supplies: You will need to decide what you have room for, what you will need, and the plants you want to grow. You may decide to go with plants that have already been started, which are available at most stores with gardening sections, or start your own plants and pick out seeds and nursery pots (I use cardboard egg cartons for this). If you decide to plant outside you can pick a section of your yard and turn and fertilize the soil, or purchase (or build) raised planters which will mean that you need to purchase sufficient soil to fill the planters. You can purchase hanging planters if you do not want to dedicate space in your yard, for these you will also need potting soil. Or if you want an exclusively indoor garden, pick out pots to put your plants in and potting soil. Make sure that you buy pots which are large enough for your plant to have room to grow and stretch its roots out.
Starting your plants: If you decided to start your own plants rather than going with plants which have been started for you, your next step is starting your plants. Take your seeds and place them in room temperature water and allow them to soak for 12-24 hours prior to planting them. This will help with the germination process and cause them to grow faster after they have been placed in the soil. During this time you can begin prepping the area you are using to plant and your nursery pots. After they have soaked place them in the nursery pots, or directly into pots for indoor plants, and monitor their progress and water them until you have sufficient sprout to transfer them to their official growing area.
Transplanting seedlings: Now that your plant is large enough to be moved to its new home and grown to full size, it's time to transplant it. If you are growing an indoor garden, you do not need to worry about this step. You will need to dig a hole large enough to fit the seedling and the soil it is currently growing in. If you used a compostable nursery pot (such as the cardboard egg carton), you can just place this into the ground and do not have to remove the seedling from the container. However, if you used a plastic nursery pot, carefully remove the plant so that you do not break the roots, and place the plant and potting soil into the hole.
Continuing care: Follow the care instructions based on each plant. For most, you won't have to do a whole lot of maintenance work. Make sure they are getting sufficient sunlight and water (but not too much, because this can be harmful to your plants as well). Soon you will be able to enjoy the fruit of your labor and your plants will produce herbs/vegetables/fruits to be harvested.
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