Here we are approaching the end of Spring and every year you decide in March that this is the year you begin your perfect garden.  Then June "sneaks" up on you and the thought enters your mind, "I guess I'll wait till next year."  Something has to change.  There has to be some way or some thing to help you be motivated to actually follow through with your smart plan to grow your own food.

The problem is not the idea, but rather the quantity.  Our human nature is to always dream big and to expect it to happen the very instant we begin working on it.  So what can you do?  There are a few things that can help you begin small and improve on your gardening skills.  

A Flower Pot

There is no law that says you must plant a 50 square foot garden on your very first try.  Try something small like a flower-pot.  You can put a flower-pot in the kitchen window and work on one plant such as tomatoes or spinach.  Small things like these are perfect to teach you how much watering or sunlight is needed to help your plants grow and produce the right amount of yield you are intending.

A Flower Box

Working on something small in a flower-pot is excellent to try, but many will not receive the satisfaction they were looking for when limited to just one item.  The right thing for you might be a flower-box.  

 

Credit: Take 5 Equestrian

A flower-box can be placed on the railing of your front porch or even outside your kitchen window.  You can grow some green beans next to some lilies if you like.  Growing multiple items can be a fulfilling project.

A Garden Barrel

The next step up from a flower-box would be a garden barrel.  Garden barrels allow you to grow small amounts of many things.  You may not want to have a whole row of spinach or strawberries, so a garden barrel like those seen at My Little Garden Barrel allow you to do just that: grow many things in small quantities.

Credit: My Little Garden Barrel Credit: My Little Garden Barrel Credit: My Little Garden Barrel

As you can see, a garden barrel doesn't take up much space, but it also can provide extra vegetables for your meals as well as added decoration to your front porch or back deck.  Garden barrels are also great gift ideas for Christmas or for Easter.

Raised Garden Bed

The last idea to aid in learning how to become a gardener is to place a raised garden-bed in your back yard.  This can actually give you the appearance of having a full-fledged garden to work on as you can plant in rows what you are wanting to grow.  Green beans, strawberries, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, and many others.  You are only limited by the size of bed you build.

Credit: Savvy Housekeeping

There are many sizes that you can make your garden bed.  The popular size would be something like an 8ft x 4ft bed that would give you about three rows to grow what you want.

No matter what style you are looking for or how much of a beginner you are, don't let this year be another year of saying "I'll just try gardening next year."  Start small and you'll see your thumb turning green faster than you thought!