THE PLANT LIBRARY

Find your next plant.

Simple growing plans for flowers, vegetables, and other plants.

Ocimum basilicum

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52 growing guides

Spinacia oleraceaVegetables

Spinach

Four plants. One pot. Fresh greens.

Pot
12 × 12 × 12 in.
Start with
8 seeds → 4 plants
See the growing steps
Ocimum basilicumHerbs

Basil

A sunny pot, a handful for dinner.

Pot
3-gallon pot
Start with
1 nursery start
See the growing steps
Mentha spica plantHerbs

Mint

Fresh leaves, kept happily in their own pot.

Pot
3-gallon pot
Start with
1 nursery start
See the growing steps
A pile of harvested cherry and cocktail tomatoes.Vegetables

Cherry tomato

One roomy pot. Tomatoes within reach.

Pot
10-gallon pot
Start with
1 compact plant
See the growing steps
Flower heads (some still in bud) with orange & yellow flowers.Flowers

French marigold

A bright spot on the front steps.

Pot
12-inch pot
Start with
1 compact start
See the growing steps
Zinnia elegansFlowers

Zinnia

A small pot of summer color.

Pot
12-inch pot
Start with
1 compact start
See the growing steps
Trailing vine with green and yellow, heart-shaped leaves.Houseplants

Pothos

A little green for your bookshelf.

Pot
Keep its nursery pot
Start with
1 small plant
See the growing steps
FormHouseplants

Snake plant

For the gardener who sometimes forgets.

Pot
Keep its nursery pot
Start with
1 small plant
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.

Pot
12 × 12 × 8 in.
Start with
8 seeds → 4 plants
See the growing steps
Small round red radishes growing at the soil surface beneath green leaves.Vegetables

Radish

Nine little roots. A satisfying first harvest.

Pot
12 × 12 × 8 in.
Start with
18 seeds → 9 plants
See the growing steps
Dense, deeply curled green leaves on a mature curly kale plant.Vegetables

Kale

One leafy plant. Pick from the outside in.

Pot
5-gallon pot
Start with
1 nursery start
See the growing steps
A green bell pepper with broad lobes hanging from a leafy garden plant.Vegetables

Bell pepper

One sunny pot. Sweet peppers to pick.

Pot
5-gallon pot
Start with
1 nursery start
See the growing steps
Fresh cilantro plants with bright green lobed leaves in nursery pots.Herbs

Cilantro

A fresh handful for tacos, from your own pot.

Pot
12 × 12 × 10 in.
Start with
8 seeds → 4 plants
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.

Pot
3-gallon pot
Start with
1 rooted clump
See the growing steps
Purple-pink funnel-shaped petunia flowers with darker veins among green leaves.Flowers

Petunia

A pot of color for the front steps.

Pot
12-inch pot
Start with
1 compact start
See the growing steps
A yellow Henry Wilde sunflower bloom opening around a dark central disk.Flowers

Dwarf sunflower

A little sunflower, right outside your door.

Pot
12-inch pot
Start with
2 seeds → 1 plant
See the growing steps
Flat, deeply divided green parsley leaves on slender stems.Herbs

Parsley

Fresh leaves for dinner, a few stems at a time.

Pot
12 × 12 in. pot
Start with
1 nursery plant
See the growing steps
A rosemary shoot with narrow green needle-like leaves.Herbs

Rosemary

One sunny pot, with fragrant sprigs for the kitchen.

Pot
12 × 12 in. pot
Start with
1 nursery plant
See the growing steps
A pile of harvested slender green snap-bean pods.Vegetables

Bush bean

A few crisp green beans, without a tall trellis.

Pot
5-gallon pot
Start with
6 seeds → 3 plants
See the growing steps
Long green cucumbers hanging from a leafy vine in a greenhouse.Vegetables

Cucumber

One sunny pot, with crisp cucumbers to slice.

Pot
5-gallon pot
Start with
3 seeds → 1 plant
See the growing steps
A red nasturtium flower with a yellow center among green stems and leaves.Flowers

Nasturtium

Two seeds, one pot, and a bright little splash of red.

Pot
12-inch pot
Start with
2 seeds → 1 plant
See the growing steps
A bee visits a pink-and-white cosmos flower with a yellow central disk.Flowers

Cosmos

Feathery leaves and flowers to cut for a little vase.

Pot
5-gallon pot
Start with
2 seeds → 1 plant
See the growing steps
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.

Pot
Keep its nursery pot
Start with
1 small plant
See the growing steps
A potted ZZ plant with upright stems and glossy green leaflets.Houseplants

ZZ plant

Glossy green leaves. Plenty of time between drinks.

Pot
Keep its nursery pot
Start with
1 small plant
See the growing steps
A dill plant with upright stems and fine, feathery green foliage.Herbs

Dill

A few feathery sprigs for potatoes, fish, or pickles.

Pot
5-gallon pot
Start with
3 seeds → 1 plant
See the growing steps
A thyme sprig with tiny narrow green leaves held against a dark gardening glove.Herbs

Thyme

Tiny fragrant leaves from one small, sunny pot.

Pot
2-gallon pot
Start with
1 nursery plant
See the growing steps
Harvested orange carrots piled together with their cut stem ends facing forward.Vegetables

Carrot

Nine little carrots, grown right where you sow them.

Pot
12 × 12 × 12 in.
Start with
18 seeds → 9 carrots
See the growing steps
Red ripe and pale unripe strawberries hanging beneath green leaves.Fruit

Strawberry

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

Pot
3-gallon pot
Start with
1 nursery plant
See the growing steps
Orange and yellow calendula flowers above green leaves in a garden bed.Flowers

Calendula

One compact plant, with cheerful flowers to keep picking.

Pot
12-inch pot
Start with
1 nursery plant
See the growing steps
A mass of small white sweet-alyssum flowers with yellow-green centers.Flowers

Sweet alyssum

A small pot of tiny, honey-scented flowers.

Pot
10-inch pot
Start with
1 nursery plant
See the growing steps
A potted peace lily with glossy, pointed green leaves on a white stand.Houseplants

Peace lily

Glossy leaves for a bright corner, with a gentle care routine.

Pot
Keep its nursery pot
Start with
1 small plant
See the growing steps
Clusters of fleshy oval green jade-plant leaves on branching stems.Houseplants

Jade plant

A little tree-shaped succulent for your sunniest window.

Pot
Keep its nursery pot
Start with
1 small plant
See the growing steps
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.

Space
4 ft between shrubs
Start with
1 nursery shrub
See the growing steps
Purple English-lavender flowers on slender upright stems against a soft green background.Flowers

English lavender

Purple flowers, sunshine, and a lighter watering hand.

Pot
16 in. wide × 12 in. deep
Start with
1 nursery plant
See the growing steps
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.

Space
5 ft between shrubs
Start with
1 nursery shrub
See the growing steps
An open Krinkled White peony with a single cup of crinkled white petals surrounding bright yellow stamens.Flowers

Peony

White spring flowers worth leaving a place for.

Space
4 ft between plants
Start with
1 root division
See the growing steps
A large open dahlia with layered peach, blush-pink and soft yellow petals in a sunny garden.Flowers

Dahlia

A generous pot of summer color.

Pot
20-gallon planter
Start with
1 nursery plant
See the growing steps
Pink sweet-pea flowers climbing through a cottage-garden border beside an old stone wall.Flowers

Sweet pea

Fragrant flowers climbing beside your door.

Pot
20-gallon planter
Start with
6 seeds → 3 plants
See the growing steps
A spike of pale pink foxglove bells with deep burgundy spots inside the open flowers.Flowers

Foxglove

Tall flower bells for a little garden drama.

Space
6 × 3 ft garden bed
Start with
3 nursery plants
See the growing steps
An open pink hollyhock flower with a deep rose center and pale yellow stamens.Flowers

Hollyhock

Old-fashioned flowers reaching above the fence.

Space
9 × 3 ft garden bed
Start with
9 seeds → 3 plants
See the growing steps
A lavender-blue Arabella clematis flower with six gently recurved tepals and pale spreading stamens.Flowers

Clematis

Blue-purple flowers with one simple spring cut.

Pot
18 in. wide × 18 in. deep
Start with
1 nursery plant
See the growing steps
Coral-pink zonal geranium flowers held in rounded clusters above scalloped green leaves.Flowers

Geranium

Classic patio flowers in one easy pot.

Pot
12 in. wide × 12 in. deep
Start with
1 nursery plant
See the growing steps
A pink wax-begonia flower with yellow stamens above glossy bronze-green leaves.Flowers

Begonia

Small flowers for a sheltered, partly shaded corner.

Pot
12 in. wide × 10 in. deep
Start with
1 nursery plant
See the growing steps
Pink and red tulip flowers rising above broad, blue-green leaves in a garden bed.Flowers

Tulip

Plant nine bulbs now for a small patch of spring.

Space
2 × 2 ft garden patch
Start with
9 bulbs
See the growing steps
White snapdragon flowers with small yellow throats clustered along green stems.Flowers

Snapdragon

Little flower spikes for the cooler part of the year.

Pot
12 in. wide × 10 in. deep
Start with
1 dwarf nursery plant
See the growing steps
Violet-pink impatiens flowers with small white centers among oval green leaves.Flowers

Impatiens

A bright little flower pot for the shade.

Pot
14 in. wide × 12 in. deep
Start with
1 nursery plant
See the growing steps
Harvested white and purple-streaked garlic bulbs with dried roots and papery skins.Vegetables

Garlic

Four cloves now. A small garlic harvest next summer.

Pot
16-inch-wide pot
Start with
4 cloves → up to 4 bulbs
See the growing steps
Two bunches of yellow bulb onions hang to dry with their green tops attached.Vegetables

Onion

Six little starts. A pot of onions for your kitchen.

Pot
16-inch-wide pot
Start with
6 onion starts
See the growing steps
Freshly dug sweet potatoes with reddish-tan skins lie on grass beside their vine.Vegetables

Sweet potato

One leafy slip. A big pot. A harvest to dig for.

Pot
20-gallon container
Start with
1 rooted slip
See the growing steps
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.

Pot
Keep its nursery pot
Start with
1 rooted plant
See the growing steps
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.

Pot
Keep its nursery pot
Start with
1 nursery plant
See the growing steps
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.

Pot
16 in. wide × 12 in. deep
Start with
1 nursery shrub
See the growing steps

ONE GOOD PLACE TO START

Not sure what to grow?

A herb for dinner, flowers by the door, or green on a shelf. Start with the space you already have.

Something I can eat →A little more color →Something for indoors →