Don’t think that just because your garden is small, you can’t join the enticing trend of growing your own food. In fact, you can grow a lot, even in limited spaces.
Principally, you need to be efficient with the way you utilize the area you have. In no time, you’ll be eating what you grow and growing what you eat.
Today, I’ll share a few essential strategies to help you get the most out of your small garden. Eventually, you’ll see how the tiniest space can become a source of abundant, homegrown food.
How To Increase Your Garden Yield
Growing your own food may seem like an intriguing idea. Not only does it save you money on grocery bills, but it also offers you the opportunity to consume the freshest produce possible.
Most importantly, it allows you to have a positive effect on the environment by minimizing your carbon footprint.
Whatever your reasons are, it’s always a fantastic idea to make use of your garden. So, here are a few helpful strategies to increase yield in your small plot.
1. Choose the Right Plants
Selecting the right plants is one of the most important factors for increasing your garden’s yield. Take a look at some of my suggestions:
- High-Yield Crops: Select plants that produce a lot of food in a small area. This includes leafy greens (spinach and kale) or compact vegetables (cherry tomatoes and radishes).
- Space-Efficient Types: Some dwarf or bush varieties are bred to grow well in small spaces. Typically, these plants have a limited footprint but still offer a decent harvest.
- Fast-Growing Plants: Some plants grow fast and can give you multiple harvests in one season. This includes lettuce, arugula, green beans, spinach, and turnips.
- Companion Planting: Consider varieties that enhance each other’s growth and help deter insects. Among the best mixes are tomatoes with basil and garlic with potatoes.
- Disease-Resistant Seeds: Plant disease-resistant seeds to reduce the need for chemicals and increase the possibility of having a healthy harvest.
- Vining Plants: Because they grow vertically, vining plants can be a great idea for confined spaces. So, consider varieties like pole beans, peas, cucumbers, or squash.
2. Consider Succession Planting and Interplanting
Succession planting and interplanting are smart techniques to keep your garden productive throughout the season.
Moreover, they make a successful strategy to ensure you don’t suddenly end up with more than you can eat.
Check out these tips:
- Sow the same seeds again a few weeks after the first round (This works especially well with root crops because you remove the entire plant when harvesting).
- Plant crops with different maturing times at the same place (For instance, you can sow fast-maturing radishes between rows of slower-growing carrots or beets).
- Create a planting calendar to keep track of your crops and manage your garden more effectively.
- Rotate crops and avoid planting the same type in the same space season after season to maintain soil health (legumes like peas or beans can enrich the soil with nitrogen).
- Grow plants with different growth habits together to make the most of your garden (Root crops like carrots can grow beneath leafy crops like spinach).
3. Try Vertical Gardening
This is another spectacular strategy for maximizing your space’s potential. Here’s how to get started with vertical gardening:
- Select the Right Space: Determine the ideal place that receives adequate lighting. Ideally, most crops require about six to eight hours of direct sunlight.
- Choose the Structure: Depending on the area you have, you can incorporate structures such as shelves, trellises, arbors, or plant towers.
- Plant Suitable Kinds: Climbing plant varieties are perfect for vertical gardening. Some of the plants that thrive on vertical supports are tomatoes, pole beans, and squash.
- Consider Wall-Mounted Planters: Install wall-mounted planters or hanging baskets to grow herbs, small vegetables, and flowers.
- Think About Incorporating Hydroponics: This highly efficient vertical gardening system enables you to grow plants in nutrient-rich water instead of soil.
4. Nourish the Soil
Nutrient-rich soil is what produces those luscious-looking veggies you see scrolling through TikTok at night (Admit it, we all do it).
Follow these tips to ensure your soil remains as healthy as ever:
- Test your soil to understand its pH levels and identify deficiencies or imbalances. This allows you to make the right adjustments before starting your planting project.
- Use organic matter (compost, manure, leaf mold, etc.) to enrich your soil and enhance its structure.
- Apply a layer of mulch around your plants to retain soil moisture and suppress weed growth.
- Maintain proper soil drainage to prevent waterlogging or root rot.
- Consider using raised beds. Not only do they allow you to control soil quality and drainage, but they also enable you to plant more crops than in traditional gardens.
Final Thoughts
Making the most of your small space is definitely achievable with a few smart strategies and a bit of creativity.
Consider tips like choosing the right plants, trying succession planting or interplanting, and planting vertical gardens. Eventually, you’ll be able to grow more than you thought you could.
So, go ahead and plan your garden with these ideas in mind. Enjoy the luscious rewards that come with it!
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.