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Best veggies for small garden


The Best Vegetables to Grow in Small Gardens

By

Erin Huffstetler

Erin Huffstetler

Erin Huffstetler is a frugal living expert who has been writing for over 10 years about easy ways to save money at home. She's covered money-saving advice and tricks for numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Forbes, among others. She is the owner of "My Frugal Home," a money-saving, frugal living how-to guide.

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Updated on 03/03/22

The Spruce / Valerie de León

Even if your garden is small, that doesn't mean that your vegetable output has to be. You can grow lots of healthy and tasty veggies with these ten high-yield, fast-growing plants. If you just have a small patio or deck, you are still in luck. Many of these plants can be grown in containers, and some grow vertically rather than horizontally. The fruits of your labor will be just-picked-fresh and will add tasty goodness to all your summer meals, and you'll make a big dent in your grocery bill as a bonus.

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14 vegetables to grow in a small garden

 

14 Vegetables to Grow in a Small Garden

“I don’t have much space, what are the best vegetables to grow outside in my small garden?”

This has been one of the most often asked questions which is encouraging as one of the first pieces of advice is start small! Why? Because you’re less likely to give up growing your own if you don’t take on too much at once.

You’ve installed a couple of raised beds, you’ve cleared a space for some veggies somewhere bright and sunny in your garden, or you’re even planning on planting vegetables among your flower borders or in containers; now you’re wondering what you might grow in your small vegetable garden that will give you the most return for your efforts. The following might help you take the next steps to growing vegetables in a small garden.

Four tips to bear in mind when growing in a small vegetable garden

1. Grow what you like to eat – no sense growing spinach if you can’t stand the taste.

2. Choose vegetable varieties that are expensive in the shops – shallots, mangetout or early potatoes can all add a few extra cent to your weekly budget which means you may never buy them or they’re only ever special treats.

3. Choose leafy veg that you can harvest a few leaves off and they will keep growing (known as cut and come again), beans or peas that will keep producing the more you pick them, bulbs that will break up into smaller cloves or small vegetables that don’t take up much space.

4. Grow something different. Most supermarkets only sell the most popular vegetables with chards and pretty spinach varieties such as Bordeaux never seeing their shelves. Now’s a chance for you to grow something you’d like to eat and not be told what to eat by the Buyers.

Suggested vegetables to grow in a small garden

In no particular order, here’s a list of vegetables that have grown well in gardens I’ve worked with of all shapes and sizes. I’m not suggesting you grow them all at once, mix and match and see what grows well for you. 

Shallots

Shallots – a member of the Allium (onion) family, just one set (immature bulb) planted in the soil will develop into five or six shallots. They also store well over winter and can be expensive to buy in shops. Easy to grow from set or seed, January to April, harvest during late summer.

 

Garlic Bulb

Garlic – again an Allium, when you plant one clove, it will develop into a whole bulb and is very easy to grow once you follow the planting guide. Garlic stores well, plant autumn/winter or early spring. Harvest late summer.

 

Grow Your Own Kale

Kale – there are many types of kale from scarlet to Russian, curly green to Tuscany. If you harvest a few leaves off each plant, rather than stripping the plant bare, it will grow more leaves and keep producing for you for months, from late summer through to early spring. Sow seed spring and autumn, matures in 50 to 60 days.

 

Purple Sprouting brocoli (PSB) – as with the kale above, keep picking the small florets from several plants and not stripping one bare. Also you’ll be eating this plant during late winter/early spring when there’s not too much else around to eat.

Potatoes

 

Early potatoes – if you’re keen to grow potatoes, not only do early varieties grow faster than their main crop cousins, they’re usually pricier in the shops and all being well, you’ll have harvested them before the blight. Earlies also grow well in containers. Plant late March, harvest 12-12 weeks later

Mangetout – some gardeners don’t bother at all with peas finding them too much bother, but we eat mangetout before the peas form in the pods and are delicious eaten straight off the plant. If you miss a few when picking them, they will still form little peas giving you a second chance at them. Sow February, harvest June.

Lettuce

 

Lettuce – Cut & come again salad leaves or loose-leaf lettuce – there are lots of varieties of lettuce that the leaves are plucked off as you want them and not harvesting the entire plant. We’ve enjoyed many salad meals with just six plants! Sow March to September, harvest May to November.

 

 

Beetroot – from your garden bears only a slight resemblance to that sold in the shops – it’s delicious plus you can eat the leaves! We steam the leaves as a side vegetable here in the Greenside Up kitchen. Two supplies can provide up to eight months supply. Sow March to July, harvest June to October.

Rainbow Chard

 

Chard and spinach – again, versatile cut and come again leafy vegetables that will just keep on giving for months. Stem & leaf can be used. Sow March to July, harvest all year.

 

Tangled carrots

Early carrots – small round or early – most vegetable gardeners like to grow carrots but are surprised how long they take to develop! Choose small early varieties like Nantes or round Paris Market’s for something different. Chanteney carrots are expensive in the shops and are a deliciously sweet variety of carrot too. Sow February or March undercover, or April to early July. Harvest May onwards.

Zucchini

Courgettes – they can get quite large depending upon the summer and how exposed your garden is, but one plant of courgettes will feed a family for weeks! Plants can also be grown in large containers of multipurpose compost on a sunny patio. Sow April to June, harvest June to September.

 

Cherry tomato

Cherry tomatoes – tiny, sweet cherry tomatoes will grow in beds, borders or hanging baskets and are a good choice if you’re new to tomato growing. Easy to maintain as they don’t need sideshoots removed or support. Sow February to April, harvest July to September.

Runner Beans

 

Runner or French beans beans – the first time I ever grew runner beans was in a large container outside the door with a makeshift wigwam frame I made for the beans to grow up. It provided enough beans for a few dinners and our children loved watching them grow. Sow April to June, harvest July to frosts.

 

Herbs – all your favourite herbs (with the exception of basil) will grow easily outside. Either make a small herb garden near to your house, grow in window boxes or containers, or add them to the sides or ends of your beds.

No vegetable garden would be complete without edible flowers that also act as companion plants – Calendula, French marigolds, Borage and nasturtiums not only bring colour and pazaz to a garden, they also bring pollinators in or can act as sacrificial plants the pests will eat first, leaving your veg alone.

Rainbow Chard & Nasturtiums

Lastly don’t forget that fruit, herbs and vegetables can be grown in containers too so if your beds are full of veg, why not consider growing some fruit outside your door or on your balcony.

Have you any favourite varieties that would grow well in small gardens?

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5 interesting solutions for organizing a garden in a small space

Not all summer residents can boast of a large area. Sometimes in a limited space it is necessary to place a residential building, a recreation area, a garden. We have to invent unusual ways of compact placement of beds. However, it is easier to adopt existing ideas for creating a compact vegetable garden in a small area.

Garden on the fence

It is not necessary to occupy the main area for greens, strawberries or vegetables, because the beds can also be placed vertically. For example, on the fence, if it is located on the sunny side. In this case, the fence will not only serve double duty, but will also usefully decorate the site. The idea itself can be realized in different ways. nine0003

Not only traditional boxes and pots are used as containers. Some craftsmen have adapted plastic pipes for this purpose and successfully grow greens and vegetables with a compact root system in them. You can fix the containers directly on the fence, but this is not necessary. Multi-tiered shelves are attached to the fence, tapestries or rope nets are fixed on the canvas.

The method is only suitable for annual crops with minimal nutrition and moisture requirements. On the fence (or close to it) vertically placed:

Plantings will need to be watered and fed more often. Part of the problem of moisture retention will help to solve the hydrogel mixed with the soil. The ideal option is a drip irrigation system. Hydroponics is also being considered. You can grow greens and vegetables vertically not only on the fence, but also on the walls of the house and outbuildings. nine0003

Multi-tiered beds

Multi-tiered beds are a structure of several levels, each of which contains planted crops. On sale you can find finished products of this type, the only drawback of which is the high price. With a minimum of building skills and suitable material, such a garden bed can be built with your own hands.

Structure tiers can be round, square, triangular. The most popular beds in the form of a pyramid. It is necessary to install such a structure in an open place to provide access to light from all sides. For the construction of multi-tiered beds use:

Each of these materials has its own advantages and disadvantages. For example, wood is easy to use, inexpensive, but it requires increased care and lasts only 2-3 seasons. Plastic is durable, but it is a fragile material that is sensitive to temperature changes. Slate is affordable, but no less fragile than plastic. Metal serves for a long time, but it scares off with its price and requires special skills in work. The advantages of brick include natural composition and durability, however, the process of building such a bed will require physical and material costs, and it will be problematic to disassemble it later. nine0003

Container plantings

Berries, flowers and various vegetables can be grown in containers. The advantage of such a "garden" is its mobility. Containers can be moved to another location at any time. Usually, this method is resorted to in the case when landing in the ground at the chosen place is excluded. For example, if the area near the house is paved with tiles.

This method has several other advantages. Under the rays of the sun, the walls heat up and accumulate heat, and then give it away, warming the plants. Gardeners do not have to worry about crop rotation, which often becomes a problem in a small area. Landing buildings located on the south side are protected from the cold wind. nine0003

Growing on pergolas

Pergolas are convenient because they can be installed where land cannot be used. If you build such a structure over the garden path leading to the house, it will turn out to be original, beautiful and ergonomic. Residents of a country house every time will be able to admire the greenery, passing through a living corridor, and the harvest ripening on the side planes will wait in the wings.

This growing method is suitable for miniature pumpkins, cucumbers, string beans, peas. The listed vegetables belong to the group of vines and are characterized by accelerated growth. Soon after planting, the plants, braiding the walls of the pergola, form a lacy green surface. Curly crops can also be grown on arbors, arches, screens, trellises. Flower lovers can also use this method of decorating the site. nine0003

Planting vegetables in bags or barrels

The use of plastic bags or barrels is carried out according to the same principle, so you can take what is available for growing vegetables. This method makes it possible not only to save the area of ​​​​the site, but also to get an earlier harvest due to the accelerated heating of the soil.

Such plantings are protected from pests (moles, shrews), they are easier to cover in cold weather, more convenient to water.

Fitting method:

The barrel is placed both vertically and horizontally, cutting a hole from one side for planting vegetables. It is more convenient to grow strawberries in large plastic bags, making holes on the sides from bottom to top into which seedlings are planted.

Thanks to interesting ideas, even a small area will fit a garden where you can grow greens, vegetables, flowers and berries. By changing the location of structures, it is easy to change the visual appearance of the site. At the same time, every piece of land in the country will be used rationally.

Garden on 10 square meters - FloweryVale.ru

Most of us have garden plots totaling six acres . Yes, and those, either by tradition, or by necessity, are mainly occupied with vegetables. Vegetable beds by the end of summer do not always decorate our site. nine0003

But our trade is developing every year, fresh vegetables and fruits can be bought in winter. Therefore, by itself, there is no need to plant your entire plot with cabbage, potatoes, cucumbers, and tomatoes.

Increasingly, we also want something for the soul: an arbor covered with ivy, an open terrace with a potted garden, a beautiful flower garden that would delight from spring to autumn, a lawn that makes you want to run barefoot, a small pond with a fountain, or even a real pool. All this became feasible, there would be a desire! nine0003

But what about the garden? It seems to me that you can’t completely give up your vegetables, because cucumbers or tomatoes from your own garden cannot be compared with those sold in the store.

Having previously calculated everything on paper, having weighed all the pros and cons, you can even arrange a real garden on a small area of ​​10-12 square meters.

The garden plot can be divided into four beds. Why? Simple, on four beds it is easier to observe crop rotation . Crop rotation is needed in order to alternate vegetable crops. So vegetables grow better, are less affected by diseases.

Every year, the beds simply move, let's say, from left to right, so the vegetables will return to their place only after four years.

What kind of beds to make in our small garden? Of course, you can make the beds what you want - square, triangular, round. This is a matter of taste and your imagination! But I can offer you narrow long beds 2 m long and 80 cm wide, leaving 60 cm between the beds. Why do I stop at these beds?

Firstly, it is desirable to make the beds raised. On high beds the earth warms up faster, the water does not stagnate in them, which is very important for plants. And if you still make a slight slope to the south side, then the plants on such beds equally receive solar heat and light. All this is easier to organize on rectangular beds. nine0003

Secondly, narrow beds are very convenient to handle . In the spring I dug up, filled with humus, you can apply mineral fertilizers for the full development of plants, and that's it. With further processing of the beds, you will no longer step on the beds, the soil on them will remain until autumn as loose as in spring. They are very easy to weed. Raised narrow beds are easily visible from both sides, and you don’t have to reach far, any blade of grass can be removed in a timely manner. If you are very tired or sick, thanks to the wide passage you can lay a rug on the ground and weed while sitting (I think that not everyone can boast of excellent health). And even in the morning, bypassing your favorite beds, when you see a blade of grass, you will pluck it with pleasure. nine0003

Thirdly, it is very easy to make drip irrigation on such beds. Drip irrigation has many benefits. One of the most important: frees you from watering cans. While the neighbors from all sides are drinking water, which is already lacking in summer, you are sitting in the gazebo or on the terrace, drinking tea with dryers, enjoying the scent of climbing roses, listening to buzzing bees and dreaming of eternity. :)

This was a small digression, but now let's get back to our little garden. nine0003

Divide vegetables like this:

Bed 1 - Highly soil-depleting plants : curly parsley, low-stemmed tomatoes, cauliflower, red cabbage, radish, kohlrabi, radish, broccoli, green onions, fennel, endive, lettuce.

We choose those vegetables from the list that we certainly eat, and plant them in the first bed in long rows. But we will find another place for tall tomatoes.

Bed 2 - moderately soil-depleting plants : Ice lettuce, beets, peppers, bok choy, chard, basil, stalk lettuce, meaty tomatoes, spinach, mixed-crop carrots and onions, white cabbage.

Bed 3 - low soil-depleting plants : tarragon, small-fruited tomatoes, turnips, early beans, dill.

Bed 4 - plants that restore the soil : garden savory, peas, bush beans. For decoration, you can choose varieties with blue, yellow, green fruits. nine0003

Plants from garden 1, which require a lot of nutrients, next year we will move to garden 4, where legumes grow this year. As you already know, legumes are able to accumulate nitrogen in the soil with their roots, which restores the nutritional value of the soil.

On each bed you can plant standard gooseberries, currants. They not only do not interfere with vegetables, but also greatly decorate our small garden. It is better to plant greens at the edge of the beds, so that it is easier to get it. nine0003

We have left unplanted sweet corn, tall tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelons, climbing zucchini. For them there is a place along the wall (fence, house, barn).

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