I’m guessing you already know I’m majorly plant obsessed. When I was a kid, my sisters and I helped my dad plant trees around our backyard. We each got to pick one tree that was “ours.” My tree was called Anna’s Apples, bearing oddly shaped, oval and super scrumptiously tart apples.

To this day, my childhood backyard is still my favorite place in the world. It holds so many fond memories, and an open space to think and explore. This spring, I had a chance to plant a variety of plants.

For those who think they don’t have a green thumb, or even for those who do, this ones for you—a little garden day guide teaching you how to plant your own garden. If you want a few quick tips on keeping succulents alive, you can read up on my previous post.

Here’s a simple list of supplies needed to do your own gardening:

Shovel

Plot of dirt/compost

Plants

Gloves

I gathered random vegetables that I found in my kitchen that were starting to grow. There were several red potatoes that started to grow eyes and a red onion with stalks. I also planted three vegetables that day that I got from a farmers market. I chose a Chinese bean, green bean, and zucchini plant and it was only $5 for all three of them. I also already had pumpkin, strawberry, and mint planted. For the new plants, I used coffee ground waste from a coffee machine as compost to reduce waste and enhance the growth of the plants, as coffee grounds are a great source of nitrogen.

It’s really easy to use coffee grounds as compost. There’s no need to alter the coffee grounds, just use them straight out of a coffee machine. If you have one at work, ask if you can claim the coffee ground waste that is produced (trust me, within one week there is a lot). Essentially, as you plant vegetables or fruit, you can sift the coffee grounds evenly so that it is mixed with the existing soil. If you don’t have coffee grounds, you can also just use any organic waste from fruit or vegetables as compost.

Make sure the soil surrounding the plants is firm, so that the roots don’t move. Over the next few days and weeks, watch your plants closely because baby plants tend to need more care. During the early stages, the plants will need more water, but as they grow, you can reduce watering to 1-2 times a week. In no time, you’ll be able to reap a harvest that you can take joy in knowing you grew. That’s a real life farm to table for you. It’s already been over a month since I planted these new babies, and I’ve been able to see them grow strong and start to bear fruit!! (see below for reference)

If you grow any plants anytime soon, let me know what you grew in the comments below! My next big gardening goal is to create a hydroponics garden, which is a soil-less method of growing produce. For the curious birds, you can learn more about hydroponics farming here.