Just like there are cat people and dog people, I think there are garden people and houseplant people.

I’m a houseplant person. I can stick anything in a pot, give it some water and it will grow.

On the other hand, I have tried at different times over the course of many years to grow a pleasing flower or vegetable garden with little or no success. What gives?

I follow author Brenda Coulter on Facebook and she posts the most amazing photos of her gardens. Flowers, ornamental grasses, adorable little tomatoes—she grows them all. I’d love to be able to grow some vegetables and have some flowering plants around my patio.

So this year, I’m going for it. I read all the info I could find about growing veggies in my mile-high climate, I bought seeds and starter-soil and set up my grow pots in a window that gets the most sun.

And, voila! I have veggies! Seven days after planting seeds I have the beginnings of spinach (on the left) and carrots (on the right).

I also planted tomatoes and romaine. In their present state they fall under the category of houseplant, since they’re inside in pots. The proof of the pudding will be next month when it’s time to transfer them to the outdoors. Keeping my fingers crossed that I can finally be learn to be a garden person, too.