How to Grow Vegetables in a Small Garden

Overview

Not everyone has sprawling acreage in which to grow a full-sized vegetable garden. For those pressed for space, choosing the right vegetables to grow, and planting wisely, can help make the most of your limited gardening space.

Choosing Your Vegetables

Step 1

Choose vegetables that grow close to the ground, such as kale, leaf lettuce and spinach. Low-growing plants reduce the chance of one plant shading another from necessary sunlight.

Step 2

Plant tubers to save space. Vegetables that grow straight down, into the ground, take up less space than bush vegetables. Examples of tubers are carrots, turnips and beets.

Step 3

Fill empty spaces with small vegetables. Vacant corners of a small garden can host vegetables such as green onions, garlic or celery.

Step 4

Grow vegetables upward, if possible. Install a pole or small trellis and plant pole beans, instead of bush beans, to save space.

Positioning Your Vegetables

Step 1

Make a rough blueprint of your small garden, once you've chosen your vegetables, but before you plant them.

Step 2

Check how the sunlight tracks across your garden space throughout the day. Plant taller vegetables on the side of the garden that receives sunlight last. This avoids casting shadows over shorter plants.

Step 3

Plant vines and crawlers on the sides of your garden. As they grow, these plants can spill over onto the lawn or crawl up nearby walls.