Keeping a small space vegetable garden thriving is actually a lot easier than you may think. The work isn’t onerous, and you can grow an awful lot in a very small space. For example, vegetables and other edible plants can be massed together to provide mutual benefit. They do this by sharing essential nutrients and pest protection. In other words, they look after each other.

This sharing principle is a technique called The Potager Garden. See the link below. http://permaculturesouthernhighlands.info/journal/potager.htm The Potager method has been practiced for a long time now. It’s proven. Still, we are here to guide you; to help you pick your own preferred style, and the techniques you’ll need to use to create your very own small vegetable garden.

Vegetable gardening can be very successful providing you give your plants plenty of sunlight. This is the key. All the Earth’s energy, after all, comes from the sun, and direct, radiant energy is the best. And bearing in mind that many vegetables can be grown successfully in containers, there’s nothing to stop you moving those containers around to catch that sunlight. Another plus: apart from providing you with fresh, nutritious produce, well- grown veggies can delight the eye. Some are extremely beautiful.

Many seed companies provide a wide range of compact, space-saving vegetable seeds, and this makes the choice of what to plant interesting. Most people like to have a wide range of edible plants. That is, they like to include, edible flowers, herbs, vegetables and fruit. And yes - they can all be grown in a small vegetable garden.

Preparations, including your choices, need to be made before planting, and such preparation may include you raising seedlings or purchasing already raised seedlings from a local nursery. Also, your choices will include not only what foods you would like to grow, but will they be able to grow, given your location’s climate. And what sort of displays, if any, do you want to present as your plants raise their smiling faces to that wonderful sunlight.

Consider and prepare as necessary, for those times you may be away. Will you use self -watering containers, or will you hand-water? Is an irrigation system feasible? Or maybe the lady next door will look after the whole shebang for the short time you’re absent, besides just feeding the cat.

What types of container will your vegetable and herbs be placed in? Plastic? Terracotta? Ornamental? You may even consider having your containers on wheels, so they can be easily trundled around. Why strain your back. Oh, and always check for suitable drainage holes in the bottom of your pot or container!

Create an area for potting-up, keep it tidy! A way to do this? Do your potting work over an old tarp, or old bed sheets you were going to throw out anyway.

Consider which fertilizers you will use: Slow-release or liquid, organic or inorganic, and also consider each plant’s needs and how often they will need to be fertilized and watered.

Generally most small space vegetable garden consist of some modest-size earth patches and sporadic containers placed here and there. But if this is the case, there are some considerations to be made.

Firstly, are you in a hot or cool zone? We can’t emphasize this enough. Choose the correct vegetables and support plants that can be grown where you live.

Place your smaller plants at the front, larger to the back. This way they’ll all receive a fair share of sunlight.

You’ll also need to place plants together that have similar requirements, such as Tomatoes with Chillies and Capsicum. Lettuce enjoy being placed near to Cucumbers, and Snow Peas can easily be grown towards the back of your display – vertically, up a lattice or similar structure.

View our page on Companion Planting in Pots for more information about which plants pair up well.

While designing your small space vegetable garden we suggest ‘put the plan on paper.’ Even a rough sketch will do. Don’t leave it all ‘in your head.’ Such planning will better ensure long-term success.

Capsicum- Sow Capsicum in early spring. But not too early, as they like warmth. Sow about 25cm apart (10 inches). From seed, they’ll take five to six months to produce fruit. Capsicums need regular water and fertilizer- and full sun. However, do not allow the fertilizer mix to go soggy or root rot will occur.

Capsicum can be affected by those pests similar to Tomatoes; the same pests and diseases, including fruit fly.

Cucumber- There are baby vines available as seed for container-growing. Sow three seeds in the middle of a 20cm pot (8 inches) and remove the weaker plants when they are 5cm high (2 inches). This early ‘triangulation of energy,’ that is, planting three in one pot instead of one singly, will help enormously in the early growth stage.

Water and fertilize regularly for quick growth and good fruit. Powdery mildew can be a problem, so avoid wetting the leaves when watering, if possible.

Pumpkin- There is some mini Pumpkins available for container growing and small space vegetable gardening. Sow in spring, but not too early. Grow in full sun, and provide adequate drainage. Early flowers may not set, so you may need to do some hand pollinating. This can be done by brushing pollen from the male vine flowers into the female flowers. Later in the summer, flowering with pumpkins should be less of a problem.

Pumpkins are ready to harvest when the stalk attaching them to the vine has dried and shriveled up. It all but falls away when they’re just right.

Radish- Radishes can be grown at any time of the year and they’re quick to mature. Put some complete fertilizer through the potting mix, before sowing the seed direct. Plants can be thinned out after germination. Radish need full sun and plenty of water. Also Radish can be successfully grown in an old spare Tyre, or something similar.

TIP: If using an old Tyre, paint it with white, reflective paint. Conversely, for cool season crops, keep the Tyre black. The black color will help retain the sun’s warm rays.

With Radish, sow seed every four to six weeks. This should ensure a continuous supply.

Tomato- A favorite by many for its flavorsome fruit and lovely orange-red or pure red display. Tomatoes are best grown from seed sown in Spring. But beware of planting too early, while nights are still very cold. A mini-greenhouse is recommended for an early-season start.

A single plant will need a 25-30cm pot (10-12 inches). Tomatoes can really get a spurt on. And that plant must have full sun and wind protection. Add some lime and an all-purpose fertilizer to the container before planting out seedlings. Water and fertilize regularly throughout the growing season. There are many Tomato pests and diseases with Fruit Fly and Tomato Grub being probably the most common.

Cherry tomatoes seem to be the less attractive to these pest, however. Still it’s a matter of choice. You might much prefer the larger varieties. Position a stake in the pot before planting that seedling. Also, remember to tie the plant at intervals as it grows. It’ll probably climb right to the top of that stake and want to go even higher! Shades of “Jack and the Beanstalk.”

You can pinch out the lateral shoots that develop at the base of the leaf stalks. But this isn’t essential. You may also wish to cut out the growing tip, once plants have developed well. Many growers recommend insecticides and sprays. It’s your choice, but I prefer to use companions such as Basil to repel the fruit flies. Also, don’t leave any rotten fruit around to attract the blighters. And good luck!

Zucchini- Last of all on this list is Zucchini. It’s a wonderful plant that is easily grown in a container. Once again, search for seeds or seedlings from nurseries that are suitable for container growing, or small space vegetable gardening.

Sow in spring, but not while the nights are still cold. Add complete plant food to the potting mix before sowing. Zucchinis need full sun. They need wind protection, and support for the plants. Water regularly to maintain rapid growth. Once Zucchini start to crop, the fruit enlarges rapidly. So keep an eye on your Zucchinis and pick daily. Powdery mildew can be a problem. So try not to wet the leaves during watering.

I hope you enjoyed our article: Small Space Vegetable Garden, and found it useful. If you would like to be updated regularly on Small Space Gardening and Apartment Gardening you can follow me at Twitter.com http://www.twitter.com/homesandgarden.

See you there!

And Happy Gardening,

Marty.