Gardening in the urban environment (read: without much space) is a challenge, but creative urban gardeners have come up with many ways of solving the problem. Just in time for the summer gardening season, here are 5 tips for growing something in a space you thought you couldn’t:

1. Containers are Your Friend

When space is limited, use containers to grow your plants. They’ll keep your system portable, and can transition easily from room to room or indoors to outdoors.

2. Use Potting Soil

Potting soil, compared to regular soil, is lighter and drains better, which is crucial for growing things indoors. Most potting soil these days comes with a certain level of fertilizer mix in it, making it easier for your plants to thrive.

3. Provide Adequate Light

Plants need sunlight to thrive (unless you want to invest in a sophisticated UV light setup). Stick to the parts of your condo that get adequate daylight, or you’ll run into trouble.

4. Don’t Overwater

With new gardeners, over-watering is more of a problem that underwatering. The rule of thumb is to wait until the top of the soil in the planter is dry before watering again.

5. Be Creative About Finding Room

Plants can thrive in many places around your condo: in window boxes, on planters hanging from the ceiling, even on the walls themselves.

And one last tip: If you haven’t grown anything indoors before, start gradually with a couple of plants to see if the hobby sticks before making a larger investment in it.