Gardening
Got a green thumb? Or how about an eager one that, with a few good ideas, is more than willing to become green?
Window Box Gardening
When considering a garden, space shouldn’t be a constraint or even a deciding factor. Glorious gardens can take root in small spaces such as window boxes, also known as container gardens, which become as much a close-at-hand feast for the eye as they are a relatively inexpensive adornment for the home’s exterior. 
Among the flowers that grow well in these smaller spaces are petunias, geraniums, zinnias, nasturtiums, and begonias, along with items including ivy, heather, euonymus, and vinca which will gracefully spill over the edge. Experts say flowering bulbs are sometimes overlooked for window boxes. Along these lines daffodils, snowdrops, hyacinths, lilies, alliums, and dwarf gladiolas fit the bill, depending on the season of the year in which you are planting.
While window boxes were traditionally made of wood, materials including fiberglass, plastic, or metal (aluminum; copper) are good options in terms of durability, and can always be placed inside wooden boxes for aesthetics and mounting to your house.
Spice Gardens
What would life be without some form of seasoning, whether in a literal or figurative sense? Can you imagine eggs, meatloaf, or even tofu without something to enliven them? Or a day without laughter? Whatever form of spice you favor, growing herbs yourself only underscores their freshness and availability.
Growing herbs indoors is an excellent way to maintain a year-round supply of rosemary, chives, oregano, lemongrass, or thyme, and container gardening is so easy. Your local garden center can help with herbs, pots, and potting soil, along with any added nutrients it may be prudent to use. Herbs need sunlight, so a window spot that gets at least six hours a day of sunlight is best.
Flower Gardens for Every Season—Even Winter!
Gardening in winter? Yes you can! While most of us think spring, summer, and fall to plant and reap what we’ve sown, depending on in which part of the country you live (exceptions: areas of permafrost or tundra!), winter gardening can yield just as many beautiful and nutritious rewards.
Experts say before beginning, identify the plants that will bloom and flourish in various seasons in your region, factoring in hours of available sunlight each day. While Southern gardeners may have more options, in the North hollies, chokeberry bushes, and firethorn are hardy plants that can withstand more punishing weather. Snowdrops and hellebors are said to tolerate weather extremes as well.
Using large outdoor container gardens is an excellent way to exert more environmental control and facilitate growth, providing the option to rotate to a different part of the yard should the path of necessary sunlight change.
Vegetables for Every Season
With vegetables an integral part of optimal health, growing your own only adds to their level of flavor and quality of freshness, as they’ve not had to travel hundreds or even thousands of miles to reach your store and plate. 
If you decide to plant annuals, be sure to pay close attention to when they thrive regionally and plant accordingly.
A great start, however, is to plant perennial vegetables. These include tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, okra, horseradish, Jerusalem artichokes, Chayote squash, bean varieties, onions and leeks, nutrient powerhouse kale (actually a biennial, but can withstand the cold), and others. This way, unlike annuals, with proper care you are ensuring they will consistently come up in their appropriate season, and you will not have to start over each year to plant them.
