Academy / Start here
Gardening
101
The whole game in one page. Five rules, then every plant worth growing in a city. No mysticism, no Latin, no beige.
The core
Five rules. That's the religion.
Light is the budget
Before anything, count the hours of direct sun your spot gets. 6+ hours buys you tomatoes and chilies. 3-6 buys roots and herbs. Under 3 buys leaves. You can improve soil and water - you cannot negotiate with the sun.
Soil is the soundsystem
Plants don't eat dirt, they eat what living soil serves them. Mix compost into whatever you start with, mulch the top, and never leave it bare. Feed the soil and the soil feeds the plant - that's the whole trick.
Water deep, not often
A daily splash makes lazy shallow roots. Soak the soil properly two or three times a week instead - roots chase the water down and the plant gets tough. Morning beats evening. Mulch cuts the work in half.
Start stupid easy
Radishes in 4 weeks. Lettuce in 6. Beans climb anything and fix their own nitrogen. Win first, then get ambitious. Nothing kills a new garden like starting with aubergines.
Harvest is a loop, not a finale
Pick leaves from the outside and the plant keeps producing. Sow a short row every two weeks instead of everything at once. A garden is a rhythm you keep, not a project you finish.
Everything else - companion planting, soil pH, moon phases - is remixes. Master the five first.
The catalog
What a city can grow
Everything below works in containers, beds, or grow bags on concrete. Match the sun column to your spot and start with EASY.
Leaves
Fast, shade-tolerant, the gateway crops. Most regrow after cutting.
Lettuce
EASYSun 3-5h ◆ 15cm deep ◆ 40-60 days
Pick outer leaves, never the heart - one plant feeds you for weeks.
Rocket
EASYSun 3-5h ◆ 10cm deep ◆ 30-40 days
Bolts (flowers) in heat - sow little and often, eat the flowers too.
Spinach
EASYSun 3-5h ◆ 15cm deep ◆ 40-50 days
Loves cool weather - spring and autumn crop, sulks in summer.
Kale
EASYSun 4-6h ◆ 25cm deep ◆ 55-75 days
Tastes better after a cold snap. Survives winter in most cities.
Chard
EASYSun 4-6h ◆ 20cm deep ◆ 50-60 days
The most indestructible leaf. Neon stems, cut-and-come-again all season.
Pak choi
MEDIUMSun 3-5h ◆ 15cm deep ◆ 30-45 days
Fast but bolts if dry - keep it evenly watered and pick young.
Roots
Underground payoff. Want loose, stone-free soil - containers are actually ideal.
Radish
EASYSun 4-6h ◆ 15cm deep ◆ 25-35 days
The fastest win in gardening. Sow every two weeks, eat forever.
Spring onion
EASYSun 4-6h ◆ 15cm deep ◆ 60 days
Regrows from the white root end of shop-bought ones. Free food.
Beetroot
EASYSun 5-6h ◆ 20cm deep ◆ 55-70 days
Each 'seed' is a cluster - thin the seedlings and eat the thinnings.
Carrot
MEDIUMSun 5-6h ◆ 30cm deep ◆ 70-80 days
Hates transplanting and stony soil. Sow direct in a deep container of fine compost.
Potato
EASYSun 5-6h ◆ Grow bag 30L+ ◆ 70-120 days
A grow bag on concrete works. Keep covering the stems with soil as they rise.
Fruiting
The sun-hungry showstoppers. 6+ hours of direct light or don't bother.
Tomato
MEDIUMSun 6-8h ◆ 30cm deep, 20L+ ◆ 60-85 days
Cherry varieties forgive everything. Water evenly or the fruit splits.
Chili
MEDIUMSun 6-8h ◆ 5-10L ◆ 70-90 days
Loves pots and mild stress - slightly underwatered chilies taste hotter.
Courgette
EASYSun 6h+ ◆ 30L+ ◆ 45-60 days
One plant will bury you in courgettes. You do not need two.
Cucumber
MEDIUMSun 6h+ ◆ 20L, give it a trellis ◆ 55-70 days
Climbs happily - grow it up a fence and pick small for crunch.
Strawberry
EASYSun 6h+ ◆ Anything, even gutters ◆ Year 1-2 days
Send runners into spare pots - one plant becomes ten by autumn.
Herbs
Highest value per square centimeter. A windowsill is a farm.
Basil
MEDIUMSun 5-6h ◆ 15cm ◆ 30-40 days
Pinch the top pairs of leaves weekly - it doubles every time.
Mint
EASYSun 3-5h ◆ ALWAYS its own pot ◆ 30 days
Never plant in a bed - it will conquer everything you love.
Coriander
MEDIUMSun 4-5h ◆ 15cm deep ◆ 30-40 days
Bolts fast in heat. Sow every 3 weeks, use the seeds when it does.
Parsley
EASYSun 3-5h ◆ 20cm deep ◆ 60-75 days
Slow to sprout (3 weeks) - don't give up on it, it's coming.
Rosemary
EASYSun 6h+ ◆ 20cm, hates wet feet ◆ Perennial days
Thrives on neglect and bad soil. The punk of the herb world.
Thyme
EASYSun 6h+ ◆ Shallow is fine ◆ Perennial days
Drought-proof. The drier the pot, the stronger the flavor.
Chives
EASYSun 4-6h ◆ 15cm ◆ 60, then forever days
Cut like a haircut, regrows in days. Purple flowers are edible.
Climbers
Walls, fences, railings - your garden also goes up.
Peas
EASYSun 4-6h ◆ 20cm + strings ◆ 60-70 days
Eat the shoots while you wait for pods - both are the crop.
Climbing beans
EASYSun 6h ◆ 25cm + something to climb ◆ 55-65 days
Fix their own nitrogen - feed the soil for whoever grows there next.
Squash
MEDIUMSun 6h+ ◆ 40L, strong trellis ◆ 80-100 days
Will eat a fence in a season. Support the fruit with slings.
Nasturtium
EASYSun 4-6h ◆ Anything ◆ 40-50 days
Every part is edible and peppery, and it pulls aphids off your veg.
Berries & perennials
Plant once, harvest for years. The long game for gardens with a future.
Raspberry
EASYSun 5-6h ◆ 30L+, or a bed corner ◆ Year 2 days
Autumn varieties fruit on this year's canes - cut everything down each winter, zero skill needed.
Blackcurrant
EASYSun 4-6h ◆ 30L+ ◆ Year 2 days
Shrugs off shade, frost, and neglect. Smells incredible when you brush it.
Rhubarb
EASYSun 4-6h ◆ Big - 40L+ ◆ Year 2 days
Pull stems, never cut. Leaves are toxic - compost them, eat the stalks.
Fruit trees (dwarf)
MEDIUMSun 6h+ ◆ 45L+ on dwarf rootstock ◆ Year 2-3 days
Apples and plums on dwarf rootstock live happily in big pots on concrete.
Pollinator crew
Flowers are infrastructure. No pollinators, no fruit - book the lineup.
Calendula
EASYSun 4-6h ◆ Anything ◆ 45-60 days
Self-seeds forever, petals go in salads, pulls in hoverflies that eat aphids.
Sunflower
EASYSun 6h+ ◆ Deep, 10L+ ◆ 70-90 days
Grow the tall ones by a wall. Birds take the seeds in autumn - that's the point.
Lavender
EASYSun 6h+ ◆ Poor soil, great drainage ◆ Perennial days
Bees queue for it. Hates rich soil and wet roots - treat it mean.
Borage
EASYSun 4-6h ◆ Anything ◆ 50-60 days
Blue edible flowers, refills with nectar every two minutes - bee festival.
No light? Still growing
North-facing window, basement flat, zero balcony - sprouts don't care.
Microgreens
EASYSun Windowsill ◆ Any tray, 3cm soil ◆ 7-14 days
Pea shoots, radish, sunflower greens - restaurant garnish prices, pocket-change cost.
Sprouts (jar)
EASYSun None ◆ A jar and a sieve ◆ 3-6 days
Mung beans, lentils, alfalfa. Rinse twice a day. Fastest food on earth.
Mushroom kit
EASYSun None - wants shade ◆ The box it came in ◆ 10-20 days
Oyster kits fruit on a kitchen counter. Mist daily, harvest twice.
Regrow scraps
EASYSun Windowsill ◆ A glass of water ◆ 7-20 days
Spring onions, celery bases, lettuce stumps - dinner's leftovers, next week's garnish.
Read enough. Go get dirty.
The fastest way to learn any of this is two hours in a real garden with people who already know.