With skyrocketing grocery prices, you might be considering starting a vegetable garden as an alternate food source. But with limited apartment space, you aren’t quite sure how or where to begin.
Thankfully, growing your food doesn’t necessarily require a spacious area. Small sunny spots on your balcony, patio, or even beside your kitchen sink can all be successful gardening locations.
Let me show you how!
Gardening With Limited Spaces
There are plenty of ways to make the most out of your limited area. With the right approach and maintenance, you, too, can harvest healthy and tasty greens your family can enjoy.
Container Gardening
Having raised beds isn’t always an option in urban areas. Often, you’ll have to make do with a 10-foot square balcony or patio.
But the great thing about these places is they don’t require actual ground space. For one, you can try potting your favorite veggies and herbs to maximize the number you can cultivate.
A 10-foot square balcony can easily squeeze in 30 to 50 varieties of veggies. You can even scatter them around bright areas inside your home including window sills!
Here’s a pro tip:
Always use containers that can accommodate plant growth. While small pots can seem a great idea for a limited garden area, they can stunt your plant and reduce your harvest.
Grow Vertical
Planting vertically is one of the most space-efficient gardening methods. It uses walls or fences to grow crops “upwards” rather than outwards like most traditional beds.
One easy and attractive way to start a vertical garden at home is through trellis panels. The trellis, secured to a wall for support, can host a range of potted herbs, veggies, and spices.
Use a decorative trellis to amp up your home’s aesthetics! Keep your crops watered, and you can enjoy tasty home-grown greens in no time.
Plant Microgreens
No other free space besides indoors? Plant microgreens! Not only are they space-efficient, they’re easy to grow, nutritious, and delicious.
That said, growing these convenient greens takes a little bit of legwork. Setting up can take a few trials and errors, but what doesn’t?
I’d recommend starting small with just a few containers to make maintenance manageable. Place them in well-lit, accessible spots in your home so you don’t forget to care for them!
Practical Tips When Setting Up Small Space Gardens
Plants will need proper sustenance regardless of your garden size. So, when starting your small-space gardens, don’t forget to consider the following:
Light Requirements
Vegetables need at least seven to eight hours of direct sunlight every day. Without it, they can’t grow properly and the fruits won’t ripe.
If your area lacks sunlight for cultivating vegetables, opt for plants that thrive in partially shaded environments. Try planting leafy greens, root vegetables, cole crops, and broccoli.
Water Requirements
Besides sunlight, vegetables need constant watering. So, if you’re always traveling without a moment’s notice, you might have issues keeping your prized flora healthy.
A drip irrigation system is a superb solution for busy gardeners. It’s easy to install and saves water by channeling water directly to your plants’ roots.
Soil Requirements
Most plants need fertile soil rich with organic matter. You can’t just dig up earth around your house, dump it in a pot, and call it a day.
Vegetables are particularly finicky about where they grow. The quality of the soil you plant them in can affect their growth rate and overall taste.
Space Requirements
The typical temptation when gardening inside small spaces is to plant too many. However, plants growing too close can end up competing for nutrients and sunlight.
Having a few, properly-spaced plants will produce better yield. Stick to smaller plants that can grow inside smaller containers if you’re working on an extremely limited garden space!
Final Thoughts
A lack of space is one of the most common reasons people give up gardening. But the truth is you don’t even need a lot of space. In fact, too many gardeners waste plenty of their bed areas growing plants they don’t even like!
You only need sunlight, water, growth room, and a head for plant care. Remember, food security and self-reliance are one good idea away!
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.