I’ve always wanted to have my own garden, but my limited outdoor space was one of the things preventing me from testing my green thumb and fulfilling my dream of having an organic garden. However, after a lot of thinking and consideration, I was no longer discouraged by the lack of space because I had found a way to turn this disadvantage into an advantage and create a small garden that not only required less maintenance, but improved my conditions for growing crops as a beginner.
Gardening in small spaces can turn out to be even more effective and fun than taking care of a big garden that requires a lot of maintenance. Plus, growing a great amount of crops can be time-consuming and tiring. For this reason, it’s best to start small and see whether you will enjoy gardening. However, planting and designing a garden requires some certain pieces of equipment. For example, protective gloves, a pair of secateurs and a hand trowel will definitely come in handy when cutting and pruning excess flowers and leaves from your vegetables.
Once you’ve properly equipped yourself with the essential equipment, the next step is deciding what type of seeds you’ll be using to grow crops. Heirloom and hybrid seeds are the two best options on the market today. Hybrid seeds are created by combining two properties of two selected varieties, containing both their best characteristics. Heirloom seeds are old varieties and yield 100% natural plants that contain all of the nutrients that should come with the vegetable. Moreover, they are open-pollinated and can be used in one of the following planting seasons. For this reason, I rank heirloom seeds slightly above hybrids.
While almost every vegetable can grow in a small garden, the key to a well-organized and healthy small garden is to avoid planting crops that require more space to thrive. So when gardening in small spaces, go for plants that require less space, but provide plenty of produce. Such example are tomatoes – they are perfect in smaller spaces because they can thrive in containers and boxes and don’t need much room to develop strong roots. Moreover, tomatoes grow fast and only a few plants can give a pretty good amount of fresh produce. Other crops that thrive well in small gardens include garlic, carrots, kale and beans. Choose your most favourite and needed vegetables and have them fresh whenever you need them right within your arm’s reach.
