Some space saving tips!

Don't have a huge space for gardening? No worries, follow some of these space saving techniques to get the most of whatever space you have.




1. Choose your vegetables wisely. You may not need 3 rows of lettuce and 20 tomato plants to feed your family. Only grow what you will actually need for your household. Several plants that are very generous in the amount of produce they give off are; tomatoes, lettuce, beans, summer squash, pumpkins, zucchini, cucumber, etc. I don't think it's a coincidence that these plants are also some of the most space consuming vegetables to grow. Some other space eating plants include; potatoes, sweet potatoes/yams, corn, watermelon, muskemelons, etc. Side note - if you have limited space then plant leaf lettuce not head lettuce. One small section of leaf lettuce gives off more lettuce then a full row or two of head lettuce and will continue to grow after each cutting!



2. Use planters around your patio or deck area. Many plants are easily grown in planters. Tomatoes, peppers, and many types of herbs do great in planter pots. Lettuce, spinach, chard, and even pole beans can do great in window planter boxes. Using these spaces can add color and function to those planter pots around your deck or patio.



3. Plant vegetables close together that "get along" well. This is called companion planting. I have a whole chart at http://getready2garden.com/page7.html which details companion plants in addition to other vital planting information. Some plants do not get along well because they spread diseases or steal each others nutrients, while other plants play nice and seem to really complement how each other produces and performs.



4. You can plant certain plants intermingled with other plants. For instance; zucchini, summer squash, and cucumbers, along with many members of the "melon" family can be planted so they grow in between the stalks of corn. Also, I like to plant my zucchini, summer squash, and cucumbers very close together (against common wisdom) in tight rows, they really seem to thrive that way and they take up less space.



5. One of the best things anyone with limited space (and those who have unlimited space) can do with their garden is multiple plantings. Starting your seeds and seedlings in the garden as early as possible will allow you to harvest them and plant something else with a short growing span. For instance, we plant peas early in the spring and are done harvesting them by early summer which allows us to plant a crop of something else in their space. Take a look at the planting guide mentioned above in step 3 and plot your garden accordingly. If you plan your garden correctly you can plant and harvest up to 3 different (or the same) plantings of vegetables in the same row in the same season. Multiple plantings are one thing that many gardeners do not take advantage of but if they did they could almost double the output of their garden.



6. Many viney plants including; melons, pumpkins, zucchini squash, cucumber, winter/summer squash, gourds, beans, peas, etc. can be/should be grown on stakes, trellises, fences, or other support systems. Growing these vegetables on support systems not only keeps the fruit off the ground which keeps it from rotting quicker, but it also saves a TON of space!