start a garden

Are you one of those people that really want to garden and/or create a garden, but don’t really have much space to do so? Do you hate how little space your back yard, front yard, apartment balcony, and/or terrace has? Well, that’s okay, because a little space can go a long way when you know how to use it properly.

First, consider the space you have. Remember, every nook and cranny can have a purpose.

• Find out how much land you have and how much you can grow vertically.
• Consider the current situation of the space, too. For example, are there already some plants there? Is the space mostly taken up by grass, soil, or concrete?
• How much of this do you want to change?

Even if the space is small, these are important things to consider as they will affect the amount of work involved.

Then, consider how much sun/shade the area gets .

• From this, you can decide what you want to grow: Flowers, shrubs, trees, vegetables, herbs, or a combination of them.
• Don’t be discouraged if the amount of sun/shade your area gets is on one of the extreme sides as there are plants that grow in pretty much all conditions!
• Remember - you can almost always create shade if you need it.

Here are some tips to making it work:

Grow vertically.

Many people overlook the space above the ground. Even if you’re working with the smallest backyard, a garden with height can give the illusion that it’s bigger than it actually is. The first time I grew cucumbers, I let them grow all over the ground, wasting much of my precious space. Now, I let them grow up the fence, which saves space. Use hooks from a fence, put something on the windowsill, hang something on a sturdy tree branch. Use everything you’ve got!

Also, consider growing plants that don’t take up much space in the ground but grow out and take space in the air, such as trees.

Growing vertically has its advantages because not only do you maximize the effectiveness of your land, when you balance taller plants (e.g. trees), medium plants (e,g. shrubs, vertically-grown vegetables), and shorter plants (e.g. flower beds) it creates a very nice contrast.

Growing vertically shows that you’re a gardener who can see the whole picture and not just the ground.

Use containers!

Instead of planting everything in the ground, try using containers, wheelbarrows, planters, and other things. Put them on the ground or hang them from a fence, a wall, or a door. For example, you can hang containers of flowers from hooks on a fence. This can help you with ‘growing vertically.’ Containers also add variety to your garden.

Don’t crowd it – keep it simple.

Some of the best gardens are the simple ones. A beautiful garden can be a simple one. With a smaller space, it is easy to crowd it with too many things and make it look unorganized. Which wouldn’t look very nice. So keep it pleasantly simple and you’ll be able to enjoy the beautify of simplicity.

Planning is the key to having a beautiful, organized garden in a small place. A good gardener plans things ahead of time to make sure that it WILL work. Don’t plan as you go along, that’s like improvising a garden. For people with lots of space, they may be able to afford to do this, but for a small garden, you need to plan every square foot ahead of time for maximum effectiveness.

At the very least, I would recommend that you take a paper and draw your it all out. Draw it from a birds eye view, to see how the land is used and what takes up where, AND from a side view, to see how the heights of your plants coordinate and such. You can visualize the colors in your head. Of course, you can always change the layout as you go along, but it’s just good to have something to work with.

Good luck with your small space!