Gardening in Small Spaces

Many of us have dreamed of having lush rolling acres of land ready to fill with every darn thing we can imagine growing as gardeners. And trust me, I still dream of that! But it’s important to realize that we don’t need all that to get started. Gardening in small spaces is possible!

Growing your own food is so rewarding. You control what is in your food, and you can choose to skip the harmful chemicals if you want. Food you grow yourself often tastes better, too, since it’s not riding around on trucks all day, or sitting around in supermarkets. Growing your own food has a huge cost savings, as well. There are many things I no longer have to purchase at the grocery store at all! 

The best part is, you can  do this even in a small space. Start small with what you already have, whether that’s growing a few herbs on your kitchen window sill, a small balcony garden in an apartment, or a small lot like I have, in the city.

Indoor Gardening 

The best things to grow completely indoors (besides houseplants!) are herbs. Some good ones to try are thyme, mint, chives, oregano, and bay leaf. Bay leaves are a larger tree or shrub of a plant, so they will need more than just a sunny window sill.

Balcony Growing

The tough thing about balconies is that they are often small and shaded. You can still grow edible plants on them, though. And if you happen to have a sunny balcony, you can grow even more. 

Sunny Balconies

If you are fortunate enough to have sunshine on your balcony, you can grow almost anything that you would grow in a typical garden, just on a much smaller scale. Choose the items that you are most excited to grow. If you love tomatoes, then fill your whole balcony with them! If you’re excited to grow everything, then grow the smallest varieties, so that you have enough room for everybody.

Shady Balconies

If your balcony is shady, you are more limited, but you can still grow things. Salad is a great choice! Many greens can tolerate a fair amount of shade. Some good greens for shade are lettuce, spinach, radicchio, endive, arugula, and kale. But you can grow heartier things in the shade, too, like potatoes, beets, broccoli, cabbage, turnips, and cauliflower. You can even grow peas, carrots, cabbage, and chard in the shade. Many herbs will also do fairly well in the shade. Try parsley, mint, chives, cilantro, tarragon, and lemon balm. Grow your favorites and utilize your space by planting smaller varieties. The cabbage, for example, will get huge! As will the broccoli, brussels, and cauliflower, but parsley will hardly take up any space at all. Experiment and see what you like best.

Gardening on a Smaller Lot

While it can be tempting to grow any old thing you love, like corn and watermelon, it’s best in a small space to only grow what you truly love and will use. That being said, if you love corn and watermelon, grow those! Just understand that they take up a lot of space, and sometimes don’t produce as well as you’d like, especially in colder climates. I have grown both, and don’t get me wrong, they’re both super exciting to grow, and I have savored with pure joy, my tiny lil Washington watermelons. I just choose not to grow them anymore so I can better utilize my space. 

Raised Beds

Raised beds are great for small spaces. Plants grow so well in them, too. If you’re in a space where you can add these, I highly recommend doing so.

Be creative when it comes to raised beds! My favorites are metal garden beds, but if I had more room, I would also do mounded beds with rock borders, or even some wooden beds, although these don’t last as long. In my garden I also use horse troughs and whiskey barrels for growing, along with a few large terra cotta pots. You can even purchase grow bags for temporary growing in small spaces.

Get Creative With Your Space

When you have a smaller space, you need to actually think bigger. Imagine using nontraditional areas of your property for growing. For example, if you feel you can get by with a smaller front yard, or even no front yard, that can be a great way to utilize more space.

I also have raised beds in my driveway. Half of the driveway is still available for parking, but a part of it has raised beds, too, because for me having the space to grow is more appealing.

You will start to see your space in new ways once you start looking at it like this. For example, in our backyard, what was once some wasted space between the garage and back fence is now a thriving raspberry patch. And a tiny corner by an old dog pen in now where we grow our hops.

Grow Your Favorites

This seems simple, but it took me a few years to figure out. By leaving out the more novelty items, you can focus on having more of what you really eat and enjoy. We use onions all the time, and they store through the whole winter, so I dedicate 2 whole beds for them. Garlic is a staple in our house, too, but has a much longer growing season, thus taking up more space in the garden, so I plant fewer of these.

If you can, tomatoes are worth the space, because you can save a lot of money by canning your own tomatoes, and they will be much healthier for you without the added citric acid and other harmful chemicals from store bought varieties. Also, they taste so much better! 

Take the time to think about what will give you the most bang for your buck, or simply what will make your heart sing when you walk past it. Even though Calla Lillies take up a fair amount of space, I still grow them, because I adore them completely.

Grow Smaller Plants

Smaller plants will give you more room, of course. Things like carrots, greens, and radishes don’t take up much space. Lettuce, Spinach, and other greens also don’t need much space either, and can provide many salads that are delicious and free! Peppers are another smaller plant that can provide a lot of fruit. Peppers are also one of the most sprayed plants, which is another great reason to grow them yourself. The same is true of strawberries. 

Grow Vertically 

Optimizing space is huge. Anything you can grow vertically, do it! This will free up more space in the garden. Just be careful that you don’t block too much sun by these living walls you will create. You can build fancy structures and trellises, but using metal fence panels works just as well, for much less money. Some good plants to grow vertically include peas, pole beans, cucumbers, butternut squash, melons, tomatoes, and gourds. Growing grapes on an arbor is another wonderful way to save space and create a focal point in your garden at the same time.

Using panel fences instead of tradition wood fencing gives structure to plants, and also lets more light through to grow (you guessed it!) more plants.

Grow in Pots and Containers

You can get really creative here! Pots range in all kinds of colors, sizes, and materials. Some people even turn old bathtubs, toilets, and work boots into planters! Truly anything that can get wet, hold soil, and have drainage holes can become a planter in your garden. I typically use terra cotta pots, wine and whiskey barrels, troughs, and raised beds.

Be a Rule Breaker

The last thing I do to maximize space is to plant things just a little bit closer together. While not ideal, and not optimal, this still works. The plants might not be quite as happy as they would be with more space, and they may not grow quite as big, but this system works pretty well for me. They still do great. Again, not too much, but just a wee bit closer than you’re supposed to. For example, right by my sidewalk, I am growing apple and plum trees, as well as several blueberry bushes. These are much closer together than I would put them on a farm, but it works just fine for the city.

Those are my tips for making your garden work in a smaller space. Do you have a small space garden? If so, I’d love to see it!

See more of small garden ideas on Pinterest and Instagram.

For tips on some easy vegetables to grow in your small space, click here.

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