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A large amount of land isn’t necessary to grow a vegetable garden – all you really need is soil, water, plenty of sunshine and possibly a fence (to fend off interested animal parties and/or grow vegetables vertically).
You may not be able to subsist entirely on your little vegetable garden plot, but you will be able to coax plenty of succulent tomatoes from it.
For your limited space, find out which plants will thrive in your region’s climate and consider how much sunlight the space receives each day.
A good garden center in your area should be able to provide you with this information (especially if you will be purchasing your seeds from them).
Plant breeders have long been creating plants that will appreciate your tiny gardening space; these days you can find just about any vegetable in patio, pixie, baby, dwarf or tiny form.
While the plants are bred to be small, the fruits they produce remain of the size you’ve come to expect.
Consider vining crops such as pole beans or vining cucumbers and squash. Pole beans will grow upward on a fence, and vining cucumbers and squash actually take up less space than bush varieties when trained to grow upward.
Companion Planting
Companion planting is an excellent option for those with limited space. In addition to conserving space, this method of growing will also cut down on pest infestations. In companion planting, plants which serve to benefit one another are grown together. For example, basil benefits from the partial shade of a neighboring tomato plant. Lettuce will grow throughout the summer in cooler climates if shaded by a taller plant and slow-growing crops like peppers or broccoli can be planted with early harvest crops of spinach and radishes.
Succession Planting
Succession planting, or reseeding quick-growing crops every 2-3 weeks throughout the growing season, is another popular technique for the grower with limited space. (And it’s not too shabby of a technique for those with unlimited space, either.) Crops like beans, lettuce and zucchini – which tend to exhaust themselves in the production capacity – are all highly eligible candidates. Succession planting means that you’ll be able to feed your family all summer, because your garden will continuously produce vegetables.
Crop Rotation
Crop rotation, the act of moving different crops to different areas each season, is recommended for any and all gardens, and is an excellent way to keep your small soil bed free of disease and pests. Obviously, you can’t rotate much within a confined space, so you may want to consider growing different crops each year instead. In any case, you’ll have to be vigilant about the problems of disease and insects – if your tomatoes come down with a serious case of septoria wilt, consider not planting them for a season or two. It may sound like a drawback, but growing the same disappointing crop each year is akin to not growing one at all.
Having a small vegetable garden is often thought of as a drawback or simply not worth the time. This is a false assumption. It is no surprise you’ll have a smaller harvest than those growing on larger plots. But, with the right techniques and tips, you can increase your yields substantially.
Horticulturist Tommy Smith shares his favorite vegetable gardening tips and strategies on his blog, VegetableGardeningToday.com.
Related articles
- We Are Loving Vegetable Gardening (backyardgardeningtips.com)
- Introduction For Vegetable Growing (yourvegetablegardeningtips.com)
- Short Overview Of Veggie Gardening (hbb2obm.com)
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