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Bright green basil leaves with new growth at the stem tips.

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77 growing guides

Green spinach leaves in wood-chip mulch, with yellowing outer leaves.Vegetables

Spinach

Leaf spinach

Four plants. One pot. Fresh greens.

Pot
12 × 12 × 12 in.
Start with
8 seeds → 4 plants
See the growing steps
Bright green basil leaves with new growth at the stem tips.Herbs

Basil

Sweet or Genovese basil

A sunny pot, a handful for dinner.

Pot
3-gallon pot
Start with
1 nursery start
See the growing steps
Spearmint with textured green leaves and serrated edges.Herbs

Mint

Spearmint

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

Compact patio cherry tomato

One roomy pot. Tomatoes within reach.

Pot
10-gallon pot
Start with
1 compact plant
See the growing steps
French marigold flowers with dark red petals edged in gold and yellow centers.Flowers

French marigold

Compact French marigold

A bright spot on the front steps.

Pot
12-inch pot
Start with
1 compact start
See the growing steps
Pink zinnia flower with layered petals and small yellow florets around the center.Flowers

Zinnia

Dwarf Zinnia elegans

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

Epipremnum aureum

A little green for your bookshelf.

Pot
Keep its nursery pot
Start with
1 small plant
See the growing steps
Snake plants with tall, striped leaves in blue indoor pots.Houseplants

Snake plant

Dracaena trifasciata

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

Loose-leaf lettuce picked young; not four mature heads

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

Small round salad radish; not long-rooted daikon

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

Compact edible curly kale; one plant

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

Sweet 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

Slow-bolting leaf 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

Common onion 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

Compact multiflora 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

Junior 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

Culinary flat-leaf 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

Culinary 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

Blue Lake 274 bush snap 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

Bush Champion 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

Empress of India 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

Renee’s Garden Sonata Mix 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

Chlorophytum comosum

A fountain of leaves, with little plants to share.

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

ZZ plant

Zamioculcas zamiifolia

Glossy leaves, with a longer wait between waterings.

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

Dill

Fernleaf 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

Common or German 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

Short ’n Sweet carrot; direct-sown short roots

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

Seascape day-neutral 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

Bon Bon 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

Carpet of Snow 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

Compact Spathiphyllum hybrid

Peace lily care starts with soft window light and a soil check before watering.

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

Jade plant

Crassula ovata

Jade plant care: a sunny window, a draining pot, and time to dry between drinks.

Pot
Keep its nursery pot
Start with
1 rooted plant
See the growing steps
A red Knock Out rose opening its layered petals against a blurred background.Flowers

Shrub rose

Original Knock Out (‘Radrazz’; not Petite or climbing roses)

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

Hidcote 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

Little Lime 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

Krinkled White herbaceous peony (not tree 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

Gallery Pablo 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

Mammoth Choice Mix 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

Digitalis purpurea

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

Indian Spring 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 recurved petals and pale spreading stamens.Flowers

Clematis

Arabella · non-clinging 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

Compact zonal 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

Compact wax 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

Apeldoorn Darwin hybrid tulip

Nine bulbs 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

Snapshot Rose dwarf 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 above green leaves in a mulched garden bed.Flowers

Impatiens

Beacon Lipstick Impatiens walleriana

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

Bulb garlic (Allium sativum; not elephant garlic)

Four fall-planted cloves in one wide pot—then a small summer bulb harvest.

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

Bulb onion (Allium cepa; locally suitable day-length type)

Six onion starts in one wide pot—matched to your day-length zone.

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

Vardaman Bush edible sweet potato

One slip in a big warm-season pot—then dig for storage roots before frost.

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

Schlumbergera × buckleyi

Gentle light, a draining pot, and a moisture check—then cool, dark fall nights when you want blooms again.

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

Green Monstera deliciosa

Settle the nursery pot, check the mix before you water, and give the climbing stem something to lean on.

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

Peach Sorbet compact blueberry

One compact acidic-soil bush for patio berries and colorful fall leaves.

Pot
16 in. wide × 12 in. deep
Start with
1 nursery shrub
See the growing steps
White Shasta daisy flowers with yellow centers and green leaves above a pale container beside a window.Flowers

Shasta daisy

Becky Shasta daisy in a garden bed

White summer daisies from one easy garden plant.

Space
48 in. between plants
Start with
1 nursery plant
Photo cultivar unspecified.See the growing steps
Aloe vera rosettes with long green succulent leaves and small pale teeth along their edges, growing in a garden bed.Houseplants

Aloe vera

True Aloe vera grown indoors

Bright light, a draining pot, and dry mix between drinks—aloe is a drought-tolerant beginner succulent.

Pot
Keep its nursery pot
Start with
1 rooted plant
See the growing steps
Close-up of violet-purple flowers and dark bracts on an upright May Night salvia spike.Flowers

Salvia

May Night perennial salvia in a garden bed

Purple flower spikes with a simple cut after bloom.

Space
24 in. between plants
Start with
1 nursery plant
See the growing steps
A green sugar snap pea pod hanging from its vine among broad leaves and curling tendrils.Vegetables

Sugar snap pea

Dwarf edible Sugar Ann snap pea

Crisp edible pods from one pot of dwarf Sugar Ann peas.

Pot
18 in. wide × 12 in. deep
Start with
9 seeds → 9 plants
See the growing steps
Potato plants with compound green leaves and small white flowers growing in a garden bed.Vegetables

Potato

Yukon Gold potato from certified seed tubers

Two seed potatoes in a deep pot—hill the stems and keep new tubers covered.

Pot
20 in. wide × 18 in. deep
Start with
2 seed potatoes
See the growing steps
Orange, yellow, purple and pink garden pansies flowering together in a dark container.Flowers

Pansy

Upright garden pansy in a cool-season pot

A small pot of color for the cool part of the year.

Pot
12 in. wide × 10 in. deep
Start with
1 nursery plant
See the growing steps
Young broccoli plants growing in a New Jersey garden bed in April, with blue-green leaves.Vegetables

Broccoli

Heading broccoli (Brassica oleracea Italica Group) from transplants or seed

Cool-season heading broccoli in one wide pot: two plants, even moisture, and a tight green crown before the yellow flowers open.

Pot
16 in. wide × 12 in. deep
Start with
2 plants
See the growing steps
Zucchini foliage with large leaves in an outdoor garden.Vegetables

Zucchini

Compact bush zucchini (Cucurbita pepo)

One bush plant in a large pot: steady water, open flowers, and fruit picked before it becomes a club.

Pot
At least 10 gallons
Start with
1 bush plant
See the growing steps
Harvested beet roots with leafy tops in a basket.Vegetables

Beet

Garden beet grown for the root

A cool-season root crop: sow a cluster, thin the seedlings, and pull roots before they turn woody.

Pot
12 in. wide × 10 in. deep
Start with
One pot, thinned seedlings
See the growing steps
Culinary sage, Salvia officinalis, with gray-green leaves.Herbs

Sage

Culinary Salvia officinalis

Common culinary sage in its own sunny pot: sharp drainage, light harvests, and a dry crown in winter.

Pot
Keep a draining 8–12 in. pot
Start with
1 culinary plant
See the growing steps
A heading cabbage growing in a kitchen garden.Vegetables

Cabbage

Compact heading cabbage

One compact heading cabbage in a wide pot, timed for cool weather and a firm head.

Pot
About 5 gallons, 12 in. deep
Start with
1 transplant or thinned seedling
See the growing steps
Arugula plants in flower, with small pale blooms above the leaves.Vegetables

Arugula

Annual salad arugula (rocket)

A quick cool-season leaf crop: sow thickly, cut young, and resow when it bolts.

Pot
8–12 in. wide, 6 in. deep
Start with
A broadcast sowing
See the growing steps
A harvested cauliflower curd held in a garden, with leaves around the head.Vegetables

Cauliflower

Heading cauliflower, one plant

One cauliflower in a large pot: cool weather, even water, and a tight curd cut on time.

Pot
At least 5 gallons
Start with
1 plant
See the growing steps
Heartleaf philodendron vines with heart-shaped green leaves.Houseplants

Heartleaf philodendron

Philodendron hederaceum

A vining houseplant for bright indirect light, with waterings based on the mix and cuttings that include a node.

Pot
Keep the nursery pot at first
Start with
1 rooted plant
See the growing steps
A bed of yellow daffodils in bloom in a park.Flowers

Daffodil

Outdoor garden daffodil bulbs

Fall-planted outdoor bulbs: deep enough to root, left alone after bloom until the leaves fade.

Planting depth
3× bulb height to the base
Start with
A small drift of bulbs
See the growing steps
Rudbeckia fulgida Goldsturm with orange-yellow petals and dark cones.Flowers

Black-eyed Susan

Rudbeckia fulgida, including Goldsturm

Orange coneflower for a sunny bed: Rudbeckia fulgida, not every plant sold as a black-eyed Susan.

Spacing
12–18 in. apart
Start with
1–3 nursery plants
See the growing steps
Purple coneflower blooms with raised orange-brown cones.Flowers

Coneflower

Echinacea purpurea

Purple coneflower for a sunny, well-drained bed: Echinacea purpurea, flowers in summer.

Spacing
15–18 in. apart
Start with
1–3 rooted plants
See the growing steps
AI-generated illustration of a potted cast iron plant with broad, arching dark-green leaves.Houseplants

Cast iron plant

Aspidistra elatior indoors

A leafy, forgiving choice for a room with softer light.

Pot
Keep its nursery pot
Start with
1 rooted plant
AI-generated illustrationSee the growing steps
AI-generated illustration of a potted ponytail palm with a swollen trunk base and long, arching narrow leaves.Houseplants

Ponytail palm

Beaucarnea recurvata indoors

A sunny-window plant that prefers time between drinks.

Pot
Keep its nursery pot
Start with
1 rooted plant
AI-generated illustrationSee the growing steps
AI-generated illustration of a potted bay laurel with glossy green leaves and a woody stem.Herbs

Bay laurel

True bay laurel in a movable pot

A leafy little tree with fragrant leaves for the kitchen.

Pot
Keep its nursery pot
Start with
1 rooted bay plant
AI-generated illustrationSee the growing steps
AI-generated illustration of a potted dwarf pomegranate with orange-red flowers and small fruits.Fruit

Dwarf pomegranate

Nana dwarf pomegranate in a container

Orange-red flowers and little fruits on a compact shrub.

Pot
Keep its nursery pot
Start with
1 rooted Nana plant
AI-generated illustrationSee the growing steps
AI-generated illustration of potted moss rose with narrow succulent leaves and pink and orange flowers.Flowers

Moss rose

Ornamental moss rose in a sunny pot

Bright summer flowers for a hot, sunny spot.

Pot
Keep its nursery pot
Start with
1 rooted nursery plant
AI-generated illustrationSee the growing steps
AI-generated illustration of a potted baby rubber plant with thick glossy oval green leaves.Houseplants

Baby rubber plant

Peperomia obtusifolia indoors

Glossy, rounded leaves for a bright indoor shelf.

Pot
Keep its nursery pot
Start with
1 rooted nursery plant
AI-generated illustrationSee the growing steps
AI-generated illustration of white-stemmed Swiss chard growing directly in soil in a vegetable garden.Vegetables

Swiss chard

Swiss chard in a vegetable-garden row

Pick a few outer leaves and let the center keep growing.

Spacing
12 in. between plants
Start with
A short row of rooted starts
AI-generated illustrationSee the growing steps
AI-generated illustration of a potted common oregano plant with small opposite green leaves.Herbs

Oregano

Culinary Origanum vulgare in a pot

A sunny herb pot for small, fragrant kitchen harvests.

Pot
Keep its draining nursery pot
Start with
1 rooted culinary plant
AI-generated illustrationSee the growing steps

Plant library questions

How many plant guides are here?+

The plant library lists every current English growing guide—vegetables, fruit, herbs, flowers, and houseplants—each with space, planting steps, water, and fertilizer notes.

Can I filter by outdoor pots or indoor plants?+

Yes. On the library page, use category filters and the growing-space control (when JavaScript is available) to narrow outdoor pots, garden beds, or indoor plants.

What if I am not sure which plant to grow?+

Open Choose your first plant for beginner routes, or try Plant Finder to match light and setting. Then pick one guide and follow its one-pot or bed plan.

ONE PLANT, A NEW START

Make a new pothos from a cutting.

See where to cut, what goes below the water, and when the roots are ready for a pot.

Follow the pothos propagation guide →

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 →