I like the color green. I like to eat greens. But when it comes to growing plants, green or otherwise, I am a disaster. I don't even keep fool-proof plants like indoor ferns or jade plants because at one point, I have killed them all. 

What makes my ineptitude more pronounced is that I'm married to someone who has mad skills in the garden. So this spring, I'm determined to turn things around and I'm taking baby steps to earn my green thumb. 

The first step was getting succulents and cacti. Once you get them established in a pot or container, they don't need much attention. If you can squirt a spray bottle once a week, you can take care of a cactus. And spraying the plants couldn't be more fun for a toddler. We picked one of the sunniest spots in our house, which happens to be our bathroom, and our little plants make me happy when I see them. Now my son is obsessed with cacti.

The next little step for me was a container garden. Having that small, confined space made it less daunting than designating a swath of yard to grow things. So we planted two varieties in soil and compost in a cedar planter. I can't wait for them to start maturing. Hopefully sunshine and water will do their work, and I will have fresh salads right from my own garden in a couple of months.

The book that got me to try growing things again is Garden Anywhere by Alys Fowler. It's broken down in a way that makes gardening less intimidating for novices. The pictures are inspirational and Alys looks like the cool, DIY friend everyone wants to have. With a few successes, I hope to be hooked and ready to take on more gardening challenges.