Vine-ripened tomatoes. Succulent squash. Plump cucumbers. Growing vegetables is a rewarding and cost-effective way to eat better for less, but you might think you lack the space necessary to grow a food-producing garden. With this guide, however, you will learn how to maximize your space and grow delicious vegetables, herbs, and fruits cheaply and efficiently—whether you have a small backyard or just a window sill.
You're most likely used to seeing your backyard, front yard, or existing flower beds in a certain way and might not even realize that there may be different options for utilizing those spaces. This book will help you take a look around your property, see it with fresh eyes, and find those hidden spots that may have potential for starting a food garden. A green patch as small as a square foot can nourish and grow some lettuce plants or even a tomato plant, so long as the area gets enough sun. Once you see the potential in one area, you will be surprised how every little nook and cranny in your small space could be the next perfect spot for growing some veggies or herbs.
Even a concrete jungle with no green in sight (other than an occasional green storefront canopy) can have great possibilities for supporting food-producing areas. Both your high-rise balcony or the rooftop of your apartment or office building can sustain growing vegetables in containers or hanging baskets. Another great option for the urban dweller is to check out community gardens in your neighborhood, and if there aren't any, perhaps there is a park or empty lot that would be the perfect place to start. There is so much potential for growing food no matter where you live. You just have to know where to look—and this book can help.
Perhaps you are already growing in your small space or on your balcony or patio and are looking for new ideas to improve what you are already doing. Have you thought of growing upward? In this book you will find information on what plants are best grown vertically using trellises or stakes, while maximizing your lower space for growing even more veggies and herbs.
Are you totally new to gardening and not sure where to begin? Or are you on a very tight budget and do not want to waste any money or time on something that may not work for you? In the following chapters you will find several garden designs in a range of price points that will work in a variety of small spaces. You can follow these designs as they are given, or use them as inspiration for making your own garden plan.
This book is divided into chapters focusing on specific topics relating to small spaces, making it easier for you to find what you need to get started. Feel free to jump from chapter to chapter as you have questions about how best to utilize your own small space. You will find specific information on how to plant, care for, and harvest many common vegetables, herbs, and fruits.
Growing in a small space can have its challenges, but the successes will definitely outweigh any concerns you may have. A productive garden can and should be a reality for everyone, regardless of the amount of land you live on. This guide has everything you need to grow fresh produce in any size space, at any time of the year!