Let’s face it: not all of us are born to be plant whisperers. Some of us can barely keep a cactus alive, and that’s okay. Gardening sounds great until your basil turns into a crispy leaf graveyard and your succulents start rotting from “just one more watering.” But here’s the good news: even if you’ve accidentally murdered every houseplant you’ve ever owned, you can still get in on the green action. These seven student-approved gardening hacks are so easy that even serial plant killers can try them without fear of immediate botanical doom.
Start with a Windowsill Herb Garden
You don’t need a greenhouse. Or a garden. Or, frankly, any actual skills. Just shove a pot of mint or basil on your windowsill, water it occasionally (like, really occasionally), and BOOM- you’re now someone who ‘grows their herbs.” If you can keep a cup of coffee from going cold for more than 10 minutes, you can keep herb plants alive, I promise. If you can do this, then you are doing better than 60% of college students. Pat yourself on the back!
Plus, when your instant ramen is looking especially tragic, you can snip a few basil leaves and feel like a culinary genius. Growing herbs is one of those things that makes you feel oddly accomplished with very little actual effort in adding a filter to a selfie. Suddenly, you glow and sparkle!
Try Regrowing Veggies from Kitchen Scraps
You know that sad green onion stump you were about to toss? Hold it right there– because you, my friend, are about to become a scientist. Stick it in a jar of water, set it on a windowsill, and watch it rise from the dead like a garnish-loving zombie. No soil, no seeds, no clue what you’re doing? Perfect. That is the whole point.
You can also try this with lettuce, celery, and even carrots (though don’t expect them to become majestic Bugs Bunny-style veggies overnight). The real joy is in watching something not die on your watch. It’s a low-effort confidence booster, plus you’ll be doing your bit for sustainability while avoiding that “I bought groceries and they died in the fridge” guilt.
Join or Start a Gardening Club
Starting a gardening club might sound like something out of a wholesome Hallmark channel subplot, but hear me out: it’s an excellent way to fake you know what you are doing with some who may even be just as equally clueless or maybe even less. Most of them will be there to drink wine, socialize, and maybe grow one cherry tomato that everyone will admire like it’s a newborn baby.
Already have a gardening club in town? But is it the snooty kind, the better than the individuals who have their faces in the town’s newsletter and have a social every month with tea and chat about how much better they are at gardening than anyone else? Well, start your own. We live in the day and age of social media. Reach out to other moms or young people whom you could potentially stand to be around for longer than a passing hello. It’s a great way to make others feel like they can be adults, too.
Make your gardening club more about learning together and less about becoming a full-on plant guru. Worst case scenario? You kill a plant. Best case? You meet friends, learn a new skill, and gain access to a whole garden without having to pay rent on it. Most towns will do a community garden. If yours doesn’t, reach out to your local government and see if there could be one.
Use Recycled Containers for Planters
You could spend $30 on a minimalist ceramic planter from an Instagram ad… or you could reuse that empty milk jug your kid finished off, or that stack of Folgers containers you have been meaning to do something with. Gardening doesn’t have to be expensive old container can be turned into a plant home with a little creativity (and a hole in the bottom so it doesn’t drown).
Using recycled containers gives you Eco-friendly street cred and makes your plant display a quirky conversation starter. “Is that a succulent in an old salsa jar?” Yes. Yes, it is. And it’s thriving, reduce, reuse, and refuse to spend unnecessary money on a trendy flowerpot.
Another cute idea is those trick or treat pumpkins you have been meaning to throw out each year. Well, guess what? You can make them into a trendy plant tree. Go over to Birds and blooms to check out their diy on how to reuse what you have. Remember, this is a hobby. Not reinventing the wheel. You don’t need a Tesla price tag for something you may or may not kill.
Track Plant Growth with a Garden Journal or App
Okay, so remembering to water your plant is hard. But you know what helps? Keeping a journal or using a free gardening/plant care app. Think of it like a diary, but for your pothos instead of your emotional roller coaster, not saying grown plants can’t be one.
Track when you watered it, how it’s growing, and how often you talk to it like it’s your emotional support housemate. Studies show that talking to your plant can make it grow better and live longer. Their study breaks down what the CO2 does in our breath. Some even sing to theirs!
The best part? You start to feel way more accomplished than you are. “Wow, I watered something three times this week AND remembered to write it down.” Boom- look at you, thriving. Also, it helps when you’re trying to figure out whether your plant is dying from thirst or just being dramatic.
Experiment with Low-Maintenance Plants
Let’s be honest: some plants are high-maintenance drama queens. Like 5-year-olds who want to wear their cape, rain boots, and swim goggles to the store. But others? Others are chill, independent, and fine if you ghost them for a week or two. Succulents and snake plants are real MVPs. They’re the introverts of the plant world: they don’t need constant attention, and they thrive on being neglected.
Start with one of these leafy legends, and suddenly you are not “bad at plants”-you’re just misunderstood. These plants will let you miss a watering or five and still show up green and growing, which is more than we can say for some people. Forget to feed your cat at exactly 6 pm. Now you’re in trouble. Honestly, if you can keep pathos alive, you might be ready for something bigger. Like a fern, not an African violet, tho. Stay far, far away from those sensitive plants.
Greenish Thumbs Welcome
So maybe you’re not destined to be the next plantfluencer with the sun-drenched greenhouse connected to your house that has nothing but beautiful green lush plants everywhere. That’s fine. Gardening isn’t about perfection– it’s about trial, error, and accidentally growing mold instead of chives. The good news? Plants are forgiving (well, most of them), and every tiny success in keeping a cactus alive for more than two weeks counts as a win.
Start small, stay scrappy, and remember: gardening is just science with dirt and feelings. Whether your “garden” is a single basil plant in a coffee mug or a repurposed yogurt cup full of mystery sprouts, you’re doing it. Your growing things. And in this economy? That’s magic.
