Growing a food garden and even incorporating flowers in small spaces is absolutely possible with a little bit of planning and knowledge.
Whether you are growing in ground, in a raised bed or a variety of containers, it is important to understand plant spacing. For example, a tomato should be grown in a 5 gallon container or larger. In raised beds, it may take up more than 1 square but you can plant smaller varieties around it. Multiple lettuce seeds can be sown in a square of garden space or container as small as 1 gallon.
Also, planting determinate tomatoes in containers is preferred as they are "bush-type" tomatoes and require less staking.
Some of the information provided here can also be found in my Grow a Great Garden article.
You don't need acreage, fancy equipment or even raised beds to grow a productive garden. For this particular tutorial, I am using several 4 foot by 8 foot raised beds as examples. I am using these because that's what I built. My next tutorial will be all grow bags.
On March 30th, I topped up this bed with my container garden soil mix, which includes 3 parts compost, 2 parts coconut coir and 1 part perlite. If you would prefer to purchase pre-mixed soil in bags, look for "Container Garden" soil. Topsoil is too dense for containers or raised beds. If you accidentally purchased topsoil, you can always mix Coconut Coir and perlite for a healthier raised bed garden soil.
I planted seeds in this bed on March 30th and by May 18th I was already harvesting squash and beans!
In my video Fixing Compacted Soil, I explained how I used bulk compost to fill up my beds and then had to re-do/mix up the top 6 inches because the soil was too dense to produce healthy plants. Lesson learned: mix it right the first time
Between my free planting guides and youtube videos, there is have enough information to help you get started. Sometimes, the getting started part can be a bit overwhelming but I hope this gets you started in the right direction.
Before you get started, there are a few things to consider and "prep."
1. Pick the right spot
2. Prep your chosen spot
3. Determine the best varieties to plant in a small space
4. Plant Seeds!
Pick the Right Spot
Most veggies need 8 hours of sunlight to thrive. However, some greens only need 4 hours for a decent harvest.
A water source is another important factor in choosing the right spot for your garden. If you have to haul water, it will become increasingly difficult to maintain your garden.
A healthy garden also needs good drainage. If you are limited to a specific spot for your garden and it floods or does not drain very well, it would be a good idea to build up and/or use raised beds. For this tutorial, I am using a raised bed.
Prep Your Chosen Spot
If you are starting a garden in a new spot, you might want to have your soil tested first to see what nutrients you might be lacking. A good all around soil amendment (and my favorite) is Mountain Flower Root Boost. It contains macro and micro nutrients to help your plants grow healthy.
If you are using a spot that is overgrown with grass or weeds, a little extra planning is involved. DO NOT treat with weed-killer prior to planting or you are potentially contaminating your future garden space. Anything that kills weeds will kill your garden. Laying down cardboard for a few months to kill the grass is an inexpensive, eco-friendly option.
Determine the best varieties to plant in a small space
Determinate tomatoes are typically more compact than indeterminate tomatoes, making them an excellent option for smaller spaces.
Cucumber and pole beans can be grown on a trellis on the back side of your garden spaces, leaving more room inside the garden bed for more plants.
Plant Seeds!
Before you plant those seeds, check out our article The Wonder of Seeds and Germination. Most of your every day veggies don't need any special treatment in order to germinate. Soil temp, water and light are important factors to successful germination.
If you are seed starting indoors, you might need to prep a few days/weeks in advance.
Seed planting depth is another important factor discussed in The Wonder of Seeds and Germination.
Seed/plant spacing is important to take into consideration if you are transplanting or planting seeds. We have 2 guides to help you determine how/where to plant
Square Foot Garden Plant Spacing Chart
Growing a Great Garden is a labor of love and requires a bit of work but the rewards are amazing. Below you will find a massive amount of information to help you grow a GREAT garden. As always, if you have questions I am happy to help!
MARY'S COMPREHENSIVE PLANTING GUIDE
Build Your Own Raised Beds and GROW
Below you will find several examples of different garden beds that are planted and growing. Some where planned out and others I just "winged it" because I know not everyone wants to plan. Sometimes, you just want to plant the seeds you have and that's totally ok.
A Whole Lotta Awesomeness: Indeterminate tomatoes on the far right and determinate tomatoes on the far left. Bush squash on the outer back side with herbs and flowers interplanted. Bush beans, lettuce, swiss chard and peppers in the middle. Cucumbers and climbing peas on the back side (the trellis went up after this picture was taken).
Zinnia and Purslane added to fill in a few spots.
For this bed, I really went all out planting a variety of heirloom seeds. Specific varieties planted: Garden Peach and Baxter's Early Bush tomato, Bush crop cucumber, Chinese red Noodle bean, Pasialla Bajio Pepper, Aconcagua Pepper, Corsicana Basil, Blonde de Paris Lettuce, Mitoyo Eggplant, Dragon Tongue Bush Beans, Hailstone Radish, Perpetual Spinach Swiss chard, Long Scarlet Cinncinatti radish, Aunt Molly's Ground Cherry, Nasturtiums and Zinnia Mix.
Squash, Tomatoes, Beans and Greens:
The tomatoes in this bed are actually volunteers from last year. I planted New Zealand Spinach along the back side of the bed with bush beans and summer squash inter planted between the tomato plants. There are also a few basil plants and Nasturtiums interplanted in this bed.
Cucumber, Herbs, Tomatoes, Squash and Root Crops:
There are a few plants with yellowing leaves so I fed them with a Compost Tea. We've had a lot of rain so they are a bit washed out at the moment.
Along the back side of this bed, I planted Cucumbers to grow up the trellis. There are indeterminate tomatoes planted on the right and left side of the bed. Inside the rest of this 4x8 raised bed, I planted summer squash, turnips, radishes, bunching onions and Genovese basil. I planted a few Bush Crop cucumbers in the front portion of this bed. There is an already established Oregano plant on the back side that came back this year.
Id you are looking for specific recommendations on compact plants to grow in smaller spaces, I am happy to help. Below are a few suggestions.
| Czech Bush Tomato | Benning's Green Tint Scallop Squash | San Marzano Determinate Tomato |
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| Bush Crop Cucumber | Ronde de Nice Squash | Pole Beans |
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| Vining Cucumbers | PEPPERS | GREENS |
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This tutorial will be updated with more info and recommendations as they are available. I hope this tutorial will help you grow a successful garden in a small space.
Happy Planting!
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