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Judul : Vegetable Gardens for Small Spaces
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Vegetable Gardens for Small Spaces

Were your grandparents vegetable gardeners? What about your parents? Are you?

According to a National Gardening Association’s 2010 study gardening is on the rise; of the household surveyed 37% are doing some of their own food production. That's a 19% increase from 2008-2009.

Why Do Folks Want to Grow Their Own? 

Survey says:
 

• 58% Better tasting food
• 54% Save money on food bills
• 51% Better quality food
• 48% Grow food that they knew is safe

If this were my personal list, I would add educational opportunity, exercise and stress relief.  Plus plants are pretty. 

This is one of my favorite vegetable gardens.  It is on a private estate in Pennsylvania and is one of the last designs that Rosemary Verey did State side before she died.  Proof that vegetable gardens don't have to be hidden in the back yard.  The orange are marigolds, a variety similar to Starfire Signet Marigolds available from Seed Savers Exchange.
 

You don't have to have a space this big to grow vegetables.  You can grow a tomato in two feet square in the ground, a raised bed, or a big pot on a balcony, patio, or strip of land along the side of your house.
 

Here's an edible landscape at Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor, Michigan. There is some large kale in back and parsley, basil and chives up front.

 

You could even just put some holes in a bag of soil and insert some lettuce seedlings. 
 

Where ever you chose to start your garden make sure you have at least eight hours of direct sunshine and access to water.
 

It could even be your window.  This is a hydroponic window farm from windowfarms.org.  An electric pump on the shelf below pumps nutrient rich water up to the top plants every thirty minutes.  The water trickles down through all the plants and their roots back to the basin below.  All you need is a window - preferably south facing. 
 

Now is the time to start thinking about your potential garden.  The frost free date in the Midwest is May 15.  That's when you want to start your garden to get maximum growing and harvesting time.
 

What Should You Grow?

What you'll eat.  If you don't like green beans, don't plant them, even if you will get buckets full for weeks. 
 

For optimum use of your small space choose small plant with high yields.  Consider plants that you can eat the leaves like: lettuce, spinach, chard, radish, and onions. 
 

If you are looking to add fresh flavor to your cooking grow herbs.  They take up very little space and don't need as much water as the bigger plants like tomatoes.  Try parsley, chives, thyme, basil, sage, oregano, rosemary, marjoram or mint.  Above is an elegant window box that is mixed herbs and flowers.
 

What are Some Easy Vegetables to Start With?
  

• Lettuce, spinach, micro greens
• Banana or Chili type peppers
• Bush Beans
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Short root crops like little carrots, beets, radishes
• Green onions 
   

 

The most popular vegetable to grow is tomatoes!  Eighty-six percent of gardeners grow tomatoes.  If you have a small space I strongly recommend cherry tomatoes.  I don't have any numbers but I am sure that cherry tomatoes produce more pounds of tomatoes over a longer period than standard or beefsteak size tomatoes. 

Tomatoes need a lot of space and water so be sure not to crowd them.  Allow a foot and a half radius of space around each plant, especially when planting in a container.

Be prepared to water your tomato twice a day during the hottest parts of the summer. 
 

Plant Selection for Small Gardens
 

When you are shopping for your veggies look for plants with names that include:
 

• Dwarf
• Patio
• Container
• Bush
• Short internodes
• Compact
• Pixie
• Tiny
• Miniature
   

These name tell you that the plant is better suited for your small space.  Many nurseries and seed companies are advertising just these qualities in their plants because they know consumers often don't have a lot of space.  

Fertilizing your Small Garden

If you are growing veggies in containers or in small raised beds it is important to make sure your plants have enough nutrients.  Soil rich in organic matter is the best way to go.  If you are planting in the ground amend the soil heavily with compost.  If you are growing in containers use a light potting soil and consider mixing in up to 25% worm compost or other rich compost.  Avoid using mushroom compost, it can be salty. 

If you are growing heavy feeders (plants that use a lot of nutrients) like tomatoes, peppers, zucchini or cucumbers you may want to add fertilizer.  I prefer organic, but you could also use artificial.  Fertilize your plants when they start to flower and again when they start to set fruit.  Keep in mind that whatever you put on your plants will wind up on your plate. 

You Never Know Until You Try

I'd like to leave you with that thought.  Gardening is something to learn by doing.  If this is your first try, start small.  If your plants die, try to figure out why, then plant some more.  There is a learning curve.  You never know what you are capable of until you try.  Good luck!

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