Gardening in Small Spaces

Don’t let space stop your love for gardening. As a famous saying goes, “if there’s a will, there’s a way!” In this article you will learn 7 strategies for gardening in small spaces.

You might think it is impossible to grow your produce with little space and with no sun exposure, but many vegetables continue to thrive with partial shade. Living in a NYC apartment with a balcony or dedicating a space in your room for some plant growing will make your urban gardening journey a delightful success.

Gardening in Small Spaces – 7 Best Strategies

Here are 7 strategies for gardening in small spaces here in New York City.

Container Gardening

Container gardening is an extremely efficient space saver. If you have limited outdoor space like a small yard, shaded courtyard, or a balcony, container gardening is the best for you. Container gardens maximize every ounce of soil in your container for your fruit and vegetable production. With this, you can grow almost any vegetable and certain varieties of fruits given the right conditions and space.

If your time allows you to, it will be easier to transfer your plants throughout the day since container gardens are easy to move. This can allow you to expose your plants to the sun at certain hours of the day.

Vertical Gardening

Imagine how many plants you can grow in such a small place. See, nothing is impossible if you do it! There are many ways to grow plants upwards. To make this happen, you will be needing a traditional trellis or recycle pallet planter, a place to hang it to, and some creativity to maximize your space.

There are a variety of options on how you can bring your vertical garden to life. You just have to make do of what space you have and design it in a way that will make it work.

Raised beds and square foot gardening

If your space allows you to, you can explore raised bed gardening. Raised bed gardening allows you to have more plants per square foot and reduces the need to weed. Should weeds grow in your raised bed, it will be easier to uproot – another advantage since it is a blessing for your back.

An ideal raised bed is 18-24 inches deep, but if you build it on top of existing soil, you have to add some more inches.

Keyhole Gardens

Keyhole gardens allow you to maximize space because it eliminates the need for walkways. It is also designed to be drought-resistant and allows you to deliver nutrients using compost for the entire season.

The edible landscape, forest gardens, and permascaping

Instead of planting ornamentals on the lawn, you can transform it into an edible landscape. Transform your landscape into a food-bearing paradise so you can grow food and increase your yield

Community Gardens

A community garden is another great way to produce food. You do not just harvest fresh produce. It also gives you a chance to strengthen your bond with your neighbors as well. If your area doesn’t have a community garden yet, then why don’t you initiate one? It will give your community a lot of benefits.

Growing vegetables with other people will also serve as a learning opportunity because you can share tips and ideas on how to improve your gardening skills. It is also a great way to introduce gardening to kids. Learning how to grow one’s food is a lifelong skill that will be helpful to them all throughout their life.

Lasagna Gardening

For rookie gardeners, the first thing you need to do is clean up. Lasagna gardening is a technique also known as “sheet composting” or “sheet mulch method.” This method involves layering soil, mulch, and root barriers on top of the grass and uses existing lawns. Convert your high maintenance lawn into an eco-friendly and productive garden using this method!

Now that you’ve learned some of how to maximize your space in starting a garden, begin by looking for a possible space in your home where you can start planting. Based on that space, choose what method will best work for you. Gardening gives us numerous benefits mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Let us not allow space to stop us from doing what we love and reaping its benefits. Start your urban garden today!

Be sure to check out more home & garden articles here on Local NYC!

Gardening in Small Spaces – 7 Best Strategies