Big ways to maximize your small gardening space

A small space doesn't have to mean a meager harvest. Here's some ways to maximize your tiny garden.

• A small-space garden's needs are the same as normal basic gardening: nutrient-rich soil and plenty of sun and water.
• Maximize use of available space by expanding both horizontally and vertically.
• When creating a high-density garden, the choice of plants is key. Accept that you'll be limited in your range of plants.
• Select plants that provide a high yield and take up little room.
• Densely-planted leaf and salad crops do well in small garden beds.
• Climbing plants, such as beans or cucumbers, will make practical use of vertical space.
• You can grow fruiting vines and small trees, so long as they're espaliered (trained to grow flat) against a wall or a fence.
• Companion planting and succession planting will help to increase the harvest.
• Organic gardening principles may be followed to avoid the use of fertilizers.

• Herbs are ideal for a small gardens. These can be harvested as needed throughout the season, and make attractive container plants.
• Annual vegetables like tomatoes, red or green peppers, hot peppers and cucumbers are also suitable for containers.
• Lettuce can be grown successfully in a small container. Consider the looseleaf varieties that can be harvested by the leaf as they'll produce for several months.
• Chard can be planted intensively and produces vitamin-rich foliage that can be harvested by the leaf all year round.
• Climbing beans are good space-saving vegetables when grown against a balcony wall. Cucumbers grow well when trained against a sunny wall.
• Leafy Asian vegetables are worth considering for a small garden because they grow rapidly. This lets you reuse the plot in a short space of time.
• Root crops like carrots or onions can be grown in pots, but you'll need to devote at least one large container to feed a single person.
• Dwarf fruiting trees are excellent container plants. There are many varieties to choose from, including apples, peaches and nectarines.
• Lemon, kumquat and tangelo trees will grow in large pots, but they need regular watering and fertilizing with special citrus fertilizer.
• Kumquats are an alternative fruiting tree, producing a good yield and looking attractive, too.

• Pumpkins need a large area in which to grow properly, yet may produce only one or two fruit a year.
• Potatoes and perennial crops, such as asparagus, also need a lot of space, so they shouldn't be included in a garden where space is at a premium.

By carefully selecting appropriate plants and using space-saving gardening techniques, you can be confident of a worthwhile harvest. Even if your garden is tiny.