Tips for Gardening in Small Spaces!

Even if you have a small space for a garden, there are plenty of design ideas to make the most out of every inch! Whether you wish to grow vegetables or flowers, see our small space gardening tips. 

Go Vertically Where Possible.

Peas and beans give a very high-yield for the amount of space they use on the ground.

Make the most of the vertical space available. Add trellises or arches over paths for climbing vines such as squash, cucumbers, and beans. 

Attach planters to walls or fences, or fix mesh or trellising for climbers such as kiwi fruits, grapes, climbing beans, peas, and tomatoes. Make sure supports are sturdy enough to hold up heavy plants in full fruit.

Tree fruits such as apples, pears, and peaches can be trained to grow close to walls or fences. Single-stemmed cordons, espaliers with parallel branches, or fans look attractive and make efficient use of ground space, especially when underplanted with perennial flowers and herbs.

Most fruits prefer a sunny spot, but some—including sour cherries, gooseberries, red currants, and white currants—will grow well on shadier walls.

See our article on tips and best plants for vertical gardening.

Grow Vegetables and Flowers Together

Growing edible and ornamental plants together can help confuse pests and ensure that there are always beneficial insects on hand to pollinate fruit and flowering vegetables.

Choose fruits and vegetables that both look and taste great, and include edible flowers such as calendula and nasturtium.

On our Garden Planner, use the Companion Planting feature to find flowers that will grow well with your crops. Simply select the crops you wish to match then click the heart-shaped Companion Planting button to view suitable companions, including flowers.

See our video on companion planting with vegetables and flowers.

Choose Crops That Yield A Lot

Select only high-yielding or high-value crops such as tomatoes, chard, runner beans and zucchini.

Fast-maturing crops such as radishes and lettuce can be sown, grown and harvested multiple times in a single growing season. 

Some plants are harvested early, such as peas, so you could replace the peas after harvesting with a crop such as spinach.

Square-Foot Gardening

Square Foot Gardening is an intensive growing technique that enables lots of crops to be packed into raised beds using a special rich soil mix.

If you have the Garden Planner, just click on the SFG button to turn on Square Foot Gardening mode, and when you add plants to your plan the Garden Planner will calculate how many plants can be grown in each square foot! See our video on how to plant a square foot garden.

Use Containers!

Edible crops do not have to be grown in the ground! Many vegetables can also be grown in containers, and it can be handy to have containers near your kitchen.

Choose compact varieties suitable for growing this way and grow them in new or up-cycled pots in pretty colors, glazes and designs. Don’t forget that hanging baskets can be used to grow strawberries, herbs and many trailing or climbing vegetables. Learn more about container gardening!

Lastly, include a bench or seat in your plan, and surround it with aromatic herbs or fragrant flowers to enjoy.

Try out our Almanac Garden Planner! We’re offering a free 7-day trial of the Garden Planner here. Give it a go and have fun playing around!