Small gardens vegetables
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.
Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
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.
Click Play to Learn How to Grow a Vegetable Garden In a Small Space
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01 of 10
Leaf Lettuce
The Spruce / Autumn Wood
Harvest lettuce leaves whenever you need them, and more will grow right back in their place as long as you don't damage the crown. Leaf lettuce varieties you can grow include oak leaf, red sails, and mesclun.
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02 of 10
Tomatoes
The Spruce / Autumn Wood
Plant cherry or grape tomatoes and you'll get gobs of tomatoes in compact clusters.
They'll do well in the ground or in containers on a patio or deck. So use any sunny spot that you have available. -
03 of 10
Cucumbers
The Spruce / K. Dave
Give cucumber plants a place to climb so that they don't take up a lot of space, and you'll end up with more cukes than you can pick, pickle, and give away. If you want to grow cucumbers in containers, opt for compact or bush varieties. Their vines will only spread a few feet.
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04 of 10
Squash
The Spruce / K. Dave
Left to its own devices, squash will take over every inch of your garden. But if you grow it vertically, it will do nicely in a small garden and still produce plenty at harvest time.
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05 of 10
Peppers
The Spruce / Autumn Wood
Bell peppers grow up, rather than out, so they're the perfect candidate for a pint-sized garden plot. Smaller pepper varieties also do well. Tuck them into your landscaping where they'll look ornamental or grow them in pots on your patio.
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06 of 10
Peas
The Spruce / K. Dave
Enjoy all-you-can-eat peas in the spring since they are cool-season vegetables. Then replant the space with something else for the summer and fall. How's that for making the most of a small space?
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07 of 10
Beets
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
Plant a small plot of beets, and you can eat the beet greens early in the season and then the actual beets later in the season. Now that's productive garden space.
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08 of 10
Radishes
The Spruce / K. Dave
It only takes about 45 days for radishes to reach harvest size, so that's another spot in your garden that you can replant, either with radishes or another plant.
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09 of 10
Pole Beans
The Spruce / K. Dave
Train pole beans up a pole or trellis, and your bean plants will give you a huge (and long) harvest in the teeny tiniest of spaces.
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10 of 10
Herbs
The Spruce / Autumn Wood
Herbs love to share space with other plants. Use them to fill in around your larger edibles, and you'll get more food from every inch of your garden.
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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What vegetables can grow and produce crops in partial shade? Greens, root vegetables, radishes, legumes, cabbage, etc. Photo - Botanichka
Vegetables, herbs and herbs do not have to be grown only in open sunny areas. Site conditions vary. Perhaps you are the owner of a secluded garden and strive to make the most of unoccupied areas in partial shade. Maybe you are setting up an ornamental garden, in which some of the beds are shaded by shrubs, trees, and buildings. Even for such conditions, there are many plants that give a good harvest. And it doesn't have to be spicy herbs or boring salads. In soft lighting, protected from overheating and drought, many traditional garden dwellers surprise only on the positive side.
nine0003 What vegetables can grow and produce crops in partial shade?
Peculiarities of growing vegetables in partial shade
Gardens are traditionally planted on open, sunny areas. But the popularity of mixed garden design and ornamental vegetable gardens, this seemingly invariable rule, is just one of the options. Especially in small gardens, where every free meter of space is very valuable.
Places in shade, in soft scattered penumbra under deciduous trees or near buildings should not be considered “unsuitable” for growing vegetables and useful plants. As are those beds where larger crops create shading. Whatever the reason that prompted the cultivation of vegetables in partial shade, suitable species will always be found. They will also help out in situations where you need to make room for more sun-loving crops by moving shade-tolerant species. nine0003
Before looking for vegetable plants for shady areas, it is worth limiting the allowable shading to reasonable limits.
Vegetables can be grown in partial shade, but not in dense shade. For full-fledged fruiting, the formation of tasty leaves or fruits, any plant needs at least 3-4 hours of sun per day for leafy and spicy crops and 5 hours for root crops and crops that eat fruits. Even the most shade-tolerant salads and herbs are no exception to these norms. And, of course, when changing the lighting from the usual bright, it is worth making sure that the soil and its characteristics fully comply with the individual requirements of each plant species. nine0003
Particular garden plants will thrive in partial shade:
- afraid of direct sun and often suffering from burns on tender leaves;
- moisture-loving;
- who do not like overheating of the soil and roots;
- with succulent leaves, prone to roughness in the sun, unpleasant stinging and bitterness;
- prone to rapid shooting;
- who prefer shorter daylight hours;
- fast growing. nine0029
- parsley;
- basil;
- coriander;
- lofant;
- oregano;
- celery;
- tarragon;
- lovage;
- lemon balm;
- chervil;
- thyme.
- sorrel;
- spinach;
- chard;
- mustard leaf;
- chicory and endive;
- borage.
There are many advantages to growing some vegetables in partial shade - from longer vegetation, more delicate texture and taste of greenery to less need for watering and care.
Indeed, in partial shade, the soil overheats less, moisture does not evaporate so quickly, the soil retains its texture and breathability better, and the risk of crusting is not so high.
But there are also risks: in partial shade, with excessive humidity and excessive rainfall, the risk of spreading diseases increases, and the crop volume in bad years can be several times inferior to "colleagues" in traditional beds. But if you choose the right plants and take into account the characteristics of your garden, constantly change the "set" of crops and do not forget about the elementary rules of growing and crop rotation, planting vegetables in partial shade will only bring joy. nine0003 Spicy herbs in semi-shady places bloom later and form a noticeably large green mass
Spicy classic for places with secluded lighting
Most plants that combine several useful qualities at once prefer stable soil moisture and do not like sun and overheating. Delicious leaves that can be used as food or for tea, used as a medicinal plant or spice in fresh and dried form, decorative - such cultures have many talents.
Mint is the most decorative and has the best leaf mass in partial shade. But this is just the obvious choice. Other herbs can also be grown in secluded lighting:
The main argument in favor of growing herbs in semi-shady locations is that they bloom later, form a large green mass of fragrant leaves for a slightly longer period (at least a few weeks compared to plants in open sunny areas). nine0003 Lettuces of all varieties and colors will feel very comfortable in shading. © harvesttotable
Salads and leafy vegetables for semi-shade
You can set up a bed with your favorite herbs even in a small area near the house. It is an excellent alternative to flyers and the best "filler" for mixed ornamental plantings. A secluded semi-shady corner will appeal to both fast-growing plants and plants that reach their best taste only by autumn.
You can't grow head lettuce in partial shade, but lettuces of all varieties and colors will feel comfortable in shading. As well as spicy salads - watercress, valerianella, arugula, etc.
Grows a much larger leaf mass with smaller leaf size and is pleasantly distinguished by its delicate flavor and texture from its counterparts in full sun also:
These must-have plants for the summer table with a special taste bloom much later in partial shade, are not bitter and require less frequent watering. The risk of fungal diseases is higher, but pests are lower. nine0003
The real queen of partial shade - cabbageRead also our article The 9 Best Vegetable Salads to Plant This Season.
Favorite vegetables to serve
If a semi-shady area requires at least 5 hours of morning or evening sun, then classic vegetables can also be grown on it.
Of course, not all the inhabitants of the beds can move to secluded places. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, corn, and many other species will not grow even in light partial shade. But there are pleasant exceptions to this rule. nine0003
Physalis, rhubarb and radish
In partial shade, physalis will delight you with an excellent harvest - an unpretentious plant from which you can choose vegetable or sweet strawberry varieties for every taste. Even with minimal care, physalis bears fruit amazingly abundantly and for a long time. And it is easily renewed by self-sowing.
You can safely grow rhubarb in partial shade, creating original accents in compositions or entire decorative groups with the help of this perennial favorite. He will release a large number of shoots only with timely watering, but on the other hand, it will be possible to harvest the crop longer than in full sun, while the rhubarb stems will remain juicy and tender. nine0003
Radish is an amazingly versatile plant.
Fast growing, adaptable to almost any company and great in mixed plantings, it will surprise you with a milder taste and delicate texture in partial shade. The larger-fruited variety, the juicier and not sharper it turns out in diffused lighting, although it does not reach the maximum size. And the radish shoots in a secluded place much later.
Root crops
Other root crops can be added to the plan of sowing in partial shade, which do well even not in the sun. Carrots, parsnips, beets, rutabaga may not bring a record harvest, but they will delight you with tenderness and leaves. Even potatoes can be placed here: plantings for collecting young tubers to the table in the summer in shading often surprise only on the good side. Later fruiting is not such a big disadvantage if you choose early and early-growing varieties. Yes, and potatoes do not form such a green mass in partial shade, but larger and more uniform tubers on fertile soil can be expected. nine0003 Beets, perhaps, will not bring a record harvest in partial shade, but they will please with tenderness and leaves.
© harvesttotable
Cabbage
Cabbage is the real queen of the penumbra. Moreover, there are many varieties that perfectly tolerate limited lighting, both among everyone's favorites and among the species that are grown mainly by devoted fans. The first candidates are varieties of cabbage that are prone to shooting and losing the quality of leaves in the sun, considered to be autumn rather than summer, preferring a reduced daylight hours - pok choy, Beijing, kale and other varieties of leafy cabbage. nine0003
Both broccoli and cauliflower of all colors form much more delicious and tender buds in less than full sun. And they are surprised by the ability, after cutting the main crop, to continue to form small lateral heads in the axils of the leaves.
White cabbage of early varieties also grows well in partial shade, more readily tying more juicy heads. But the brussels sprouts, which are returning to fashion again, are even better tolerated by shading, in which the heads grow larger in partial shade.
Read also our article 5 Unusual Types of Cabbage You Should Be Growing.
Onions
Many onions give a much tastier harvest not in bright sun, but in not overheated soil in diffused light. Instead of the growth of leaves and the rapid release of arrows, the growth of underground parts is stimulated in partial shade. Onions from among lettuce, sweet varieties, original edible and decorative perennial onions (primarily chives and slime onions) and a capricious favorite leek will gladly settle in more secluded lighting, especially in mixed plantings. Garlic gives a smaller yield, but if you want to free up space in the garden, you can place it in partial shade. nine0003
Read also our article Perennial onions for greens, which I recommend to grow for everyone.
Legumes
Peas, beans and beans are the best candidates for a semi-shady location among leguminous plants. In partial shade, you can safely grow low-growing, bushy varieties from among modern unpretentious hybrids that will give an excellent harvest even without full sun, requiring almost no maintenance.
Horseradish and wild garlic - for full shade
If you do not plan to limit yourself to semi-shaded areas and are looking for plants for strong shade, pay attention to wild garlic and horseradish, which love areas under the crowns of trees and large shrubs. nine0003
Vegetables don't grow in the garden? Take a closer look at your soil - Latest news from Kazan and Tatarstan
Do not despair if nothing grew in your last garden season. Analyze the reasons for this. We tell you what to do in this situation.
"Nothing to grow" in the garden can be for various reasons. The two main reasons are unsuitable soil for plants or waterlogging of the site. In addition, this can happen if plants are planted near the foundations of buildings, and also if there are geopathogenic zones on your site. nine0003
Here's how to deal with it:
Find out what the true soil composition of your site is and improve it according to the results of the study.
To do this, take soil samples from different places for analysis to a special laboratory. Each of them is taken from a depth of about 20 cm weighing about a kilogram. Then dry the soil well, put it in a bag and stick a label on it. Glass jars are also suitable for this purpose.
But you can approximately determine some soil parameters yourself. And often this can be enough. Take a small piece of soil, moisten, roll into a sausage with a diameter of 3-4 mm and twist into a ring. If there are no cracks on the ring, it is clay soil. Weak cracking indicates medium loam, strong cracking indicates heavy loam. With light loam, the ring will break. nine0003
Sandy soil will crumble. The type of soil and the content in it of certain elements important for plant life can be determined from some plants. On neutral soil grow: cuff, chamomile, clover, coltsfoot, sow thistle, wheatgrass. Acidic soil is friends with sorrel, mountaineer bird, horsetail, buttercup, plantain, oxalis. On the alkaline there are field bindweed, smolevka.
After determining the composition of the soil, it is necessary to bring the required additional soil additionally or add the missing substances to the existing soil. If the chemical composition is normal, but the soil is too heavy, you will need a loose mixed soil or peat. Perlite is always useful. nine0003
Make proper drainage. It is needed if, for various reasons, there is excess moisture in your area. Proper drainage consists of three parts: well-known drainage around the perimeter of the site, laying drainage pipes inside the site and drainage wells.
It is desirable to arrange everything in a complex. One drainage around the perimeter of the garden is not enough, besides, it can “silt up”. In mild cases, you can solve the problem with the help of a garden pond to "pull" excess moisture. nine0003
Do not plant plants next to any foundations, even if it is the foundation of a recreation area. Herbaceous perennials should be at least 1 meter from the foundation, and shrubs and trees at least 2 meters away.
