Tips for Gardening in Small Spaces

Growing in multiple, huge raised beds and large vegetable plots is a blast, but it’s such a special challenge to grow in a small space.

Our new homeowner clients came to us in early summer, wanting to transform an existing raised bed box from growing ornamental grass to growing groceries but not sure where to start.

We worked together side-by-side to remove the grass, add healthy, organic soil to the garden bed, install a custom-built cedar trellis, and plant a tasty variety of plants like tomatoes, swiss chard, cucumbers, marigolds, beets, radishes, peppers, and nearly a dozen herbs like rosemary, basil, mint, and lavender.

Isn’t it amazing what a couple months of growing, healthy soil, and a little help from a garden coach can do?

Their cucumbers are flourishing on the trellis, the marigolds are in full bloom, and our clients started enjoying their harvests almost immediately.

Gardening in small spaces is easy if you know the tricks- Here’s some of our favorite tips for growing in small spaces:

1. Prioritize Prolific Plants

Some plants will give you more harvests than others per plant. When making your planting plan, select mostly plants that will continue to offer a large bounty like kale and other leafy greens, herbs like basil and cilantro, and cucumbers and tomatoes. Consider avoiding plants that need large blocks of space, like corn, or ones that spread out significantly, like squash.

2. Get Vertical

In small spaces, there is often the option to grow up instead of out. Installing tall trellises, like the cedar one above, can offer a great option for crops that need support like tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash. We recommend trellises over cages for plants like tomatoes, as the plant can be shaped to take up less room overall than in a cage and is easier to maintain and prune.

3. Make a Plan & Plant Intensively

Making a planting plan is a great first step to planting. One of the biggest benefits to raised beds is that you can plant more intensively (aka closer together) than you can in in-ground garden beds. We typically use square foot gardening planting recommendations, plus some interplanting. This means planting a row of tomatoes and cucumbers, and then planting a smaller, fast growing crop like radishes between them. By the time the tomatoes and cucumbers are getting spreading out more, the radishes will be ready to harvest.

Remember: it’s easier to prune after you plant than re-plant later in the season. If you notice your plants are starting to look a little overcrowded, you can always prune back plants or pinch off seedlings to help the others thrive, so don’t be afraid to plant heavy and enjoy the bounty!