Gardening for Beginners

Starting seeds indoors can give gardeners a real head start in late winter and early spring. But unstable temperatures, overly wet trays, weak light, crowding, and nutrient guesswork can undermine seedlings long before transplanting day.

Before you toss that old ice cube tray or coffee can into the garbage or recycling bin, consider reusing it in your garden.

Create a colorful flower garden with ease by planting these flowers from seed. Start them indoors to get a jump on summer blooms, or simply plant them directly in the garden.

When seeds are reluctant to sprout due to tough exteriors and other issues, I try one of these tried-and-true methods.

Yes, it is possible to start your springtime seeds without ripping a big hole in your pocket.

Save room under your grow lights for plants that need a head start. These veggie, herb, and flower seeds do much better when they’re sown outdoors.

Discover raised-bed gardening tools that can improve soil quality, simplify maintenance, and increase yields.

Lasagna, hugelkultur, Ruth Stout—there are many interesting choices of how to fill a raised garden bed. Your choice should reflect the availability of time and materials at hand.

How big should the bed be, and how should you arrange the plants? Grow a bountiful garden without a lot of effort or space with these raised garden bed success secrets.

Create an outdoor haven with these attractive plant pairings.

A 5-gallon bucket for one head of broccoli? Space limitations and special care requirements make container gardening these plants more trouble than it’s worth.

Kerry Michaels, About.com’s container gardening expert, shares her top tips for success. Follow her advice and you may soon find that your containers—and your enthusiasm—flourish exuberantly.

Learn some of our favorite “something from nothing” tips and tricks for setting up a lush, lively garden plot.

Discover ways to get your garden up and running this spring without needing a money tree.

Discover clever (and mostly free) ways to start seeds, irrigate, and control pests in the garden without buying more stuff.