Tips for Growing Food in Small Spaces

Lil' Squash Princess

Urban Edible Gardening Basics

By Guest Blogger, Rachel Tayse of Hounds in the Kitchen blog

Urban gardens utilize non traditional methods to gain the most from small spaces. While the small size can be a challenge, urban edible gardens add beauty to the landscape and yield tasty produce.

Location is the first consideration for urban gardens. The ideal location will have 6 – 8 hours of sunlight a day, access to rain barrel or hose water, and convenience to the kitchen. Less than ideal locations can be optimized by using movable planters and hand watering.

Urban gardeners can utilize beds in non-traditional locations for gardens. Herbs can be tucked into small places, such as the side yards between houses. Front yards and medians between the sidewalk and street can be ideal for fruit trees.

Chard Growing in Rich Soil, Compost

Soil makeup is especially important as small gardeners expect great results from fewer plants. Vermiculite is a good additive for planters as it reduces weight. Up to one third of your soil should be compost for added nutrients. Compost bins to fit virtually any space can be purchased or made from plastic bins, wood pallets, or barrels.

Raised beds can be constructed from treated lumber, cedar, recycled plastic lumber, and even concrete blocks. Ideally they will be no wider than four feet so weeding can be accomplished without stepping on the soil. Beds should be spaced with a one foot walkway between. Raised beds can be arranged in any dimension to fit the space. Five or more triangle beds arranged in a polygon make a beautiful centerpiece garden.

Potato Planted in Container

Baskets and planters are an ideal way to add gardens to apartments, porches, and decks. Bigger containers are best as they retain moisture and allow the most space for root development. Lettuces, greens, herbs, tomatoes, peppers and even potatoes can be grown in containers. Five gallon buckets make an economical container choice. Containers are at risk for drying out, so they must be watered more regularly than in ground beds.

In making plant selections, consider heirloom varieties for plants that perform well in home gardens. Plants that grow well in containers include lettuces, greens, herbs, tomatos, peppers, and potatos. The latter three require larger containers. Carrots, garlic beets, radishes, chard, kale, herbs, and lettuces are good producers in small beds. Tomatos, peppers, peas, beans, and squash take up more room but produce in great quantity.

Start Strawberry Plants from Seeds

The most economical way to garden is to grow seedlings from seeds. Sometimes local gardeners share seeds. Many urban gardeners will only want one or two plants of each variety, in which case buying seedlings from a local nursery may be a better choice.

Vine vegetables are sometimes troublesome for gardeners in small spaces. Trellises are the answer. Simple trellises can be constructed from branches, broomsticks, lengths of PVC piping, and more. Train vegetables by gently tying them to the trellis with yarn as they grow. Gardeners have successfully grown cucumbers, squash, and beans by growing vertically.

Lady Bugs Protect Blueberry Bush

Urban gardeners have more than their fair share of pests. Insects may damage plants, fruits or vegetables. Gardeners can combat pest damage by removing insects by hand, spraying with a dilute soapy solution to prevent infestation, and encouraging predator insects like lady bugs and praying mantises. Birds and squirrels love to eat sprouts and leafy greens. Covering with reusable bird cloth prevents them from stealing seedlings. Dogs, toddlers, raccoons and other city rodents, and even neighbors might show an interest in enjoying some of the harvest. Keeping a garden inside gates or adding chicken wire fences can help keep produce thieves at bay.

Containers especially need consistent watering. A rain barrel is a very useful addition to the urban garden. It collects water off a rooftop for reuse. You can purchase a pre-made barrel or make one yourself with supplies readily available at a hardware store.

If you use raised beds, weeds are generally not too much of a problem. If they do crop up, tackle weeding a few minutes every day. When the bed is weeded, add a mulch or straw, chopped leaves or grass, or bark to suppress regrowth.

Bumble Bee on Sunflower

Because urban gardens are often part of a landscape, many creators want to include aesthetically pleasing design elements. Blooming flowers can outline or be planted among vegetable beds to add color and interest. Coordinating trellis materials gives a sense of uniformity. Uniquely shaped or arranged beds, such as a hexagon made of triangle beds, can be the focal point of a yard. Small in ground ponds or aboveground water barrel pools can add interest and moisture.

One huge advantage of the urban garden is the proximity of the harvest. Walk out the back or front door and pick away! Lettuce, greens, and herbs will regrow when you pluck their leaves. Be sure to do this regularly so they don’t go to seed.

Most veggies can be stored on the counter until you are ready to eat or preserve them. To enjoy a longer harvest, stagger plantings over a few weeks and replant cool loving vegetables like greens in mid August. Canning, freezing, and dehydrating are easy ways to make your bounty last through the winter.

Carrot Thinnings May Be Donated

If you find yourself with too many tomatoes or an abundance of cucumbers, consider giving them to a local charity. Many food pantries accept fresh produce. Some gardeners choose to plant an extra row or bed specifically for charity. Others pledge to donate a certain percentage of their harvest.

As with all endeavors in life, an urban garden provides benefits and challenges. Failures sometimes happen. Experiment, have fun, and your garden will reward you with appreciation for nature and fresh delicious food.

Rachel Tayse and her Hounds

Rachel Tayse works the earth on a tenth acre lot in Columbus Ohio. She writes about gardening, cooking, and preserving at Hounds in the Kitchen and regularly leads cooking and gardening classes. You can reach her at rachel at houndsinthekitchen.com. See more photos of her beautiful urban garden in Flickr. Follow Rachel’s gardening and cooking exploits in Twitter: twitter.com/racheltayse.

Note from Kimberly:

Rachel is one of the awesome bloggers I met at Blissdom Blogging conference in Nashville! Thanks, Rachel for these great edible gardening tips! It is time to start planning your summer garden. If you have garden plans, ideas or questions you’d like to share, please comment below!

This post is part of the Real Food Wednesday blog carnival, see more edible offerings at Kelly the Kitchen Kop blog.