Small Space Gardening

It is incredible just how many vegetables you can grow in a small space if you take some time to plan how you can fit it all in.  Although I have my veggie plot I also have some raised beds in the Rosebank garden which I usually use for salad crops and as a back-up in case of crop failure.  This year has been a prime example.

Because of the weather and slug infestation my early sowings of french and runner beans  have not done well - so I re-sowed in containers which were raised off the ground in the hope of getting at least some beans a bit later on.  These have been much more successful and although the runner beans have yet to flower, they haven't been attacked, and look much healthier than the originals.  There should be enough  left of the summer for them to develop beans before the frosts arrive.

I try to use my small space wisely and besides using containers of all shapes and sizes I apply a bit of common sense and interplant slow-growing crops with salad greens, radishes and spring onions, which won't interfere with their growth and will be used up by the time the other veg need the space.  You can grow certain things quite closely and it won't affect their size.  Carrots and beetroot rows are a case in point.  When harvesting I pull alternate roots and leave a bit more growing room for the remaining vegetables.

 If you train your trailing plants upwards on trellis or canes they take up a lot less space - you can't afford to let squashes ramble in a small garden.  By re-seeding quick growing crops every few weeks, especially beans and lettuce you can keep your crops coming all summer and not have a situation where everything comes all at once.  And once a crop is harvested another crop goes straight in after revitalising the soil.


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 Virtually any fruit, vegetable or herb can be grown in a container - as long as the container is large enough.  I have peas, beans, lettuce and carrots growing in troughs, strawberries and tomatoes in hanging baskets and runner beans in very large pots, plus potatoes in grow-sacks.  It is a great way to squeeze an edible garden into the smallest space.
And by using cloches and cold frames you can keep the garden going over winter to extend the gardening season.


 The time will come when I have to give up my allotment, then I will be totally reliant on my small  space edible garden at home for supplying all our needs, and making the best possible use of it will be my prime concern.

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Veg growing has been part of my life for so long now I just couldn't imagine not doing it.  Being able to walk to the top of the garden to pick a fresh  lettuce is one of lifes simple pleasures. 

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 This is what Alys Fowler has to say:-
It's one thing to play around with how to grow in the ground, but what if you don't own a patch to plant into? I have always found growing food in pots easier than in the soil as conditions are controllable, and with good compost, regular watering and good light you can get very good results.  One of the joys of growing in pots is that you can move them around.  This not only gives them the best possible chance as the season progresses, but you can place plenty of flowers and nectar-rich plants between your vegetables to create an ecology that will attract beneficial insects and pollinators to your pots, or you can grow the two together in large pots.