Who among us has not longingly passed the colorful seed rack at the dollar store or the tomato plants in front of Giant, or had a hopeful little one come home from school with a lanky bean plant in a Styrofoam cup? Whether your gardening urges have been fleeting thoughts of free vegetables, a half-hearted response to an urgent five-year-old, or grandiose dreams of buoyant flower beds, there is a way to have a satisfying gardening experience without breaking your back or your budget.

I remember a family friend who spoke of listening to all the advice and marketing about double digging, soil amendments, fertilizer spikes, plant supports, and watering systems. After one season of such madness, he gave up in disgust. “At four dollars a tomato, it wasn’t worth it,” he said. He was right: It wasn’t worth it – and it wasn’t necessary.

Here are the keys to a cheap and successful vegetable garden:

1) Start small: A few tomato and cucumber plants in a one-by-six-foot area are more likely to give you satisfaction than an elaborate planting of many vegetables and flowers. You will have time to take care of them, which in turn increases chances for success. Next year, when you are full of confidence, is soon enough to add a few new items.

2) Plant vegetables, and most flowers, in full sun: Really keep track over the course of a whole day after the trees have leafed out. Your chosen spot should be in unobstructed sunlight for at least six middle-of-the-day hours (or eight hours if some of the sunlight time is early or late in the day). If you don’t have such a spot anywhere in your yard, stick with shade plants such as impatiens, ferns, and hostas. No, sorry, none of these are edible.