Columnist Muriel Stevens: Nurture your gardening knowledge

Wednesday, March 1, 2000 | 9:38 a.m.

Muriel Stevens' shopping column appears Wednesdays. Her dining column appears Fridays . Reach her at muriel@vegas.com or 259-4080.

In the spring it's said that a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of love; mine turns to shopping nurseries. When I moved from a large house with plenty of garden area to a much smaller condo with just a small outdoor space, I knew I had to rethink my gardening.

Flowering house plants and pots of fresh herbs have done well inside my dining and living rooms. With a northeast exposure I can grow any plant, inside, that does not require full sun. I've toyed with the idea of growing vegetables, especially tomatoes, outside, in containers, but vegetables in pots require more time and care than I'm willing to give.

Yet there is something so satisfying about eating things you've grown. You pick them when they're ripe, and don't have to use anything more than an organic fertilizer to help them grow to the best flavor. I'm fortunate to have friends who share their homegrown bounty with me. My most recent gift was an unbelievably beautiful and delicious head of broccoli, but I still miss growing my own.

If a lack of garden space has kept you from learning the pleasures of gardening, now's the time to give it a try. It doesn't take much know-how to grow things. All you need is a dependable source for plants -- I rarely start things from seed anymore -- a good gardening book and a few basic rules.

Get to know the nurseries. I've found the largest variety of potted herbs at Star Nurseries, but Plant World has a better selection of vegetable and herb seeds. Make friends with the nursery sales staff and listen to what they have to say, but also trust your own instinct. I've grown things I was told would not do well inside, yet the plants thrived.

You don't need many gardening books. If you're a beginner consider "Houseplants for Dummies" for indoors and one of Sunset's container planting books for outdoors. These books are moderately priced and filled with useful information. "Houseplants for Dummies" is so good I could toss all of my other plant books and do just fine. I recently used the instructions for forcing bulbs. It was so easy to do and the tulips and hyacinths that bloomed were gorgeous. The flowers lasted about 10 days.

My houseplants do so well I'm always sharing cuttings. Be bold. After your plants are established don't be afraid to cut them back so that the branches don't become long and droopy. Except when they're flowering, pinch back the new growth that comes up through the center of the leaves. This makes them grow fuller from the bottom.

Ideally, houseplants should be put in pots that allow for good drainage. If the drainage hole is too large, plug it with a cork. The cork is porous and will expand and fill the hole, when wet. Plants in unglazed clay pots require the most watering, especially in warm weather. I like decorative glazed pots, but always look for non-lead glazes if the pots are glazed inside and out. Under no circumstances should you use leaded glazed pots for edibles such as herbs. Watering causes the lead to leach out.

I've found wonderful pots at reasonable prices at T.J. Maxx and Marshall's, and at Cost Plus. If you can't find pots with lead-free glazes, use plastic. Target has a good variety of attractive plastic pots.

Water plants regularly and lightly fertilize each time you water. The results are sensational.