New Player - Gardening?

[Jayjayel]

Hi!
I just hit 50 and learned about housing. I'd love to try the gardening aspect of the game. (I know I can share my FC's garden, but since I'm new to the game, I just want to mess around with gardening first, and I don't want to mess up my FC's gardens.)

I tried to buy a house several times, even after clicking for over 10hrs straight (with my husband trading in to click for me at times). So far FFXIV has been great fun, but not this housing part.

I would actually be completely happy with an FC room or an apartment, if there was a little patio garden, or indoor planter, or something? I just don't want to be locked out of the gardening part of the game, it seems like a fun mini-game, but currently the process for a new player to buy into a house seems like torture (totally anti fun, unlike the rest of FFXIV).

As a new player, are there any other options to try gardening? (without bugging my FC, who is actively using those plots for serious planting or without killing my hands/my sleep to get a house?)

Are there such things as a planter that I can buy/craft to put into my apartment? Is there like a communal garden (like inner city shared community gardens in New York/San Francisco) that I can rent a plot at?

Thanks!

P.S. I have all these seeds from Gathering and tons of soil from Mining... most don't seem to be worth much on the Market Board and abysmal worth at the npc vendor... doesn't that mean those are better for gardening? Or are there other things players can do with them?