Small Space Gardening Ideas
You can supplement your summer groceries with home-grown fresh fruits and vegetables in even the smallest spaces. Whether you're urban gardening or container gardening, planting in the ground or in a raised bed, get creative with your available space. There's much you can do with a small plot.
Discover how much fresh produce you can grow in a small amount of space. Here are some small garden ideas that make the most of every inch of space.
Use Containers for Small Spaces
Use raised beds, buckets, pots or even found objects to situate your plants wherever they'll fit and receive the best light. Consider the varieties of vegetables you're planting. For example, take advantage of vertical space by planting vining and climbing varieties near a wall, fence or trellis. This way, they take up less space than their bush-growing counterparts. Plant pole beans instead of bush beans and give them something to climb. If you don't have a wall or fence, you can create a ladder for with a few sticks or posts stuck in the ground with string or twine strung between them.
Container gardens are a great option for plants you start from seed indoors, as they're easily moved around as needed. The containers don't need to be planters, either. Buckets work well for tomatoes and peppers. Just be sure to get varieties that, when mature, can be supported by the size bucket you have. You may also need to stake up heavy plants or use tomato cages to support plants that grow heavy fruit.
Raised beds are a great way to minimize weeds and keep your plants within reach. A counter-height garden bed lets you avoid bending and kneeling; you can just reach in to remove weeds and harvest crops. For tips on building your own raised bed, see our guide — Build Your Own Farmers Market With a Raised Garden Bed.
If you live in an apartment or dorm and can't have a garden outside, you can still grow some vegetables in your home. Herbs like basil, parsley and cilantro do well in hanging baskets or windowsill planters. Window boxes will help maximize your growing space, and they're perfect for growing lettuce and leafy vegetables. You can grow tomatoes and peppers indoors if you have enough sunlight or invest in a grow light to keep your garden producing longer. For more tips, see our guide — Indoor Gardening Ideas.
Gardening Tips
- The best way to maximize your harvest is to give vegetables a happy home. That means well-drained soil with 6-8 hours of sunlight each day.
- A raised bed avoids potential drainage problems and warms up faster in spring, allowing for an earlier start. For containers, make sure they have drainage holes; drill drainage holes in the bottom or layer rocks and sand beneath the soil.
- Fill the bed with a rich, light soil mix. A general all-purpose recipe includes 1 part perlite and 2 parts each of topsoil, peat moss and compost. Mix it well and remember to fertilize your plants — either with a water-soluble fertilizer twice a month or a slow-release granular fertilizer once or twice a season. Or buy a prepackaged mix that contains a slow-release fertilizer.
- You can space plants closer together than the plant tag recommends when you have a rich, fluffy soil mix that is never compacted by foot traffic.
- Use a trellis or obelisk to utilize vertical growing space. Let trailing plants spill over the sides to save space for companions in the planting bed.
- A classic space-saving practice for vegetable growers is to sow radishes and carrots together. Once the radishes are harvested (in as little as 30 days), the carrots have more space to grow and mature. You can also plant by season. For instance, start with onions and peas in spring, replace them with beans and eggplants in summer, and finish off with lettuce and spinach in fall.
For more help with your garden, check out our guide — Tips for First-Time Vegetable Growers.
Can You Have a Vegetable Garden if You Live in an Urban Area?
Yes, you can grow a vegetable garden in an urban area. If you have a rooftop, balcony or even some windowsills, you can grow various vegetables in containers. With a grow light, you can maintain your plants indoors year-round.
What Is the Best Location for Urban Gardening?
The best location for urban gardening is an area with some space and ample sunlight, like a balcony. However, you can create a garden anywhere with some containers, soil, water and natural light or a grow light.
What Plants Are Best for Urban Gardens?
You can grow many kinds of vegetables, depending on the size of your containers. Salad greens, carrots, radishes and green onions will grow in a one-gallon container. Bush beans, peas or turnips can grow in a two-gallon container, and tomatoes and peppers require at least a five-gallon container.