That's starting your own flower and vegetables, inside and out. It's raising shrubs and trees for your property, creating your own orchard -- even growing many houseplants from one.

Here are just a few of the results you can expect:

• Raise the best tomato plants.
• Grow your own Christmas trees.
• Offer the finest of gifts -- houseplants.
• Avoid buying expensive shrubs; start your own.
• Plant those hard-to-find flowers, perennials, and annuals, at little or no cost.

Definitely not. You don't need a greenhouse or costly equipment. You can do a lot with a couple of fluorescent bulbs. Seeds are cheap, some are free. As for shrubs, trees, and houseplants, Lewis Hill explains how to collect, rather than buy, the materials you'll need.