You Do Not Need a Big Garden to Start Growing
A few well-chosen plants can turn a patio, balcony, porch, raised bed, or small patch of ground into a useful garden.
These collections give newer gardeners and gardeners with limited space a more focused place to start — without requiring a large seed assortment or a large backyard.
What Is a Good First Seed Collection?
A good first collection is not necessarily the collection with the most seeds. It is one that fits the light, space, containers or beds, available time, and foods or flowers you actually want to grow.
Beginner Herb Garden provides a focused three-herb start. Patio Herb Garden keeps the garden centered on herbs that can be managed in a smaller growing area. Easy Veggie Garden moves into five vegetable crops for gardeners ready to manage a broader planting.
If this is your first season, a smaller garden can make it easier to learn how your growing space behaves before expanding into larger collections.
Beginner & Small-Space Seed Collections
Choose a focused collection that matches the amount of space and complexity you want to manage.
Beginner Herb Garden
A focused three-herb collection for gardeners who want to begin with a small culinary garden.
Italian Large Leaf Basil, Italian Giant Parsley, Bouquet Dill
Patio Herb Garden
Three culinary herbs for gardeners building a smaller herb garden on a patio or in containers.
Italian Large Leaf Basil, Italian Oregano, Italian Giant Parsley
Easy Veggie Garden
Five vegetables for gardeners ready to move beyond herbs and manage a small mixed vegetable garden.
Red Cherry Tomato, Cucumber, Black Beauty Zucchini, Buttercrunch Lettuce, French Breakfast Radish
Starter Seed Collection
A mixed starting collection that combines three culinary herbs with two flowering varieties.
Italian Large Leaf Basil, Italian Oregano, Italian Giant Parsley, Purple Coneflower, Sweet Alyssum
Choose the Garden That Fits Your Space
Start with a few containers and choose plants according to the sunlight, container size, and growing conditions available in that exact space.
Beginner Herb Garden and Patio Herb Garden keep the collection small while giving you several culinary herbs to learn.
Easy Veggie Garden provides five vegetable varieties, but each crop still needs enough room for its mature size and growth habit.
Plan the bed according to mature plant spacing rather than the small size of seedlings when they are first planted.
Starter Seed Collection combines culinary herbs with coneflower and sweet alyssum for a mixed starting point.
Begin with the Beginner Gardening guide before deciding how many varieties you want to manage during your first season.
Beginner Herb Garden
Starting with three herbs keeps the number of crops manageable while still giving you different plants to observe, harvest, and learn from.
You can grow them in an appropriate garden bed or use containers that provide adequate drainage, root space, light, and growing medium for the individual plants.
- Italian Large Leaf Basil
- Italian Giant Parsley
- Bouquet Dill
- Three culinary crops to learn
- Works with the Herb Garden project
- Crop-specific Growing Guides available
Small Space Does Not Mean Small Planning
Container and small-space gardens can be productive, but limited soil volume makes container size, drainage, water, light, and plant selection especially important.
Observe how much direct sun your patio, balcony, porch, or garden receives before choosing what to grow there.
Choose containers based on the mature plant and its root system rather than how small a seedling looks when it is first planted.
Containers need a way for excess water to drain so roots are not left in persistently waterlogged growing media.
For containers, use a growing medium intended for container culture rather than filling pots with dense garden soil.
Containers can dry more quickly than in-ground garden soil, especially during hot weather, so moisture needs regular attention.
Supports and trellises can help make use of vertical space for suitable crops, but the container still needs enough volume and stability for the plant.
Four Decisions Before You Plant
Measure the Space
Know whether you are working with containers, a raised bed, or a small in-ground area before choosing the number of plants.
Observe the Light
Check where and when direct sunlight reaches the growing area instead of assuming every outdoor location is full sun.
Choose Fewer Crops
A focused first garden can make it easier to learn watering, timing, spacing, harvesting, and your local growing conditions.
Follow Each Crop
Use the crop-specific Growing Guides because plants in the same collection can have different planting and growing requirements.
Beginner & Small-Space Garden Projects
Choose a project that matches the amount of space and complexity you want to manage.
Explore More Seed Collections
Small-Space Gardening References
Container and small-space guidance on this page is supported by university Extension resources. Specific crops still need to be matched to your climate, season, available light, and container or garden size.
Start With the Space You Have.
You do not need to grow everything in your first season. Choose a focused collection, learn your growing space, follow the individual crop guides, and expand the garden as your experience grows.