8 Inexpensive Options for Small Space Gardens

by Jane Rising

With so many inexpensive small garden planting options available, attempts to grow food in an urban environment can be successful. with the possibility of famine looming because pandemicAnd the fuel pipeline And the meat processing plant hacks and droughtIt’s time to take a serious look become a producer.

A big problem in urban agriculture is space, especially horizontal space

Lots of homes in the city tend to be small, and apartments and condos even smaller. Even suburban homes usually don’t have forty acres of land to grow on or even a ten-acre hobby farm space.

My plot of land, for example, is 590 square feet, and my house sits on it. I estimate my yard space is 1/4 of my lot size, not including setbacks. Since one person needs 4,000 feet of garden space to grow enough vegetables for one year, there is not enough space in the average urban space to grow conventional gardens.

So what is the solution?

Grow vertical! Since we don’t have room to grow, we grow

Adding trellises to your garden is an excellent option for gardens with small spaces. It will increase your growing space exponentially!

Moreover, almost everything benefits from the support; Tomatoes, peppers and all in the vineyards. Cucurbits such as cucumbers, melons, and squash can grow to 6 feet or more. Tomatoes and beans will grow as long as they are, especially beans.

With a trellis, you give your plants vertical space to grow and produce. Trellis benefits include:

Increased airflow, reducing disease incidence
Keeps the fruits off the ground
Easier to pick out products
Easier to prune and harvest
More plants will fit into the smaller space
Increased exposure to sunlight

There are many types of trellises made from a variety of materials. Styles range from simple string to tees to A-frames and cattle board. Everything can be adapted to narrow urban spaces.

thread

Whether you use hemp, jute, or something else, thread is cheap and easy to use for gardening in small spaces. I run some string over my rain gutters and in my containers, and my plants love it. String may be a good option for residents of apartments and condos who have a balcony or a small balcony. Always keep in mind the weight of the vines as well as the vegetables, because too heavy a weight can cause a rain gutter to fall off. I use floss for small things, like beans and peas.

Chicken wire, also known as poultry net

This is a great item to have around the house! It might be one of the things that holds the universe together, besides duct tape. This is more of a loft bed solution; I stapled about 3 inches of wire to the side of my wooden garage in 2012 and screwed it to the ground in a simple way. It’s still there, stable and solid. This trellis can support heavy items, such as cucumbers, zucchini, and melons.

teepee trellis

This pattern can be made from different materials, anything from wood to upside-down tomato cages. A small one may fit on the balcony or veranda. The shape is exactly as its name: a triangle, like a teepee. Depending on how wide the base is, this trellis may support some heavy items, but I tend to use it for beans and peas.

Pergolas, arches and wall hangings

These are great if you have some space! Pergolas and arches allow vines to grow over and over again. They’re great in small urban spaces as driveway decorations and can support a variety of vegetables. Wall hangings help transform walls into a garden space. It can be made from a variety of materials or easily purchased at any hardware store.

A-/T إطارات tires

Just as it sounds: a T- or A-shaped trellis. These take advantage of the power of a triangle to support heavy plants, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and melons. T frames in particular can be quite large and support a roof that can also provide a growing space. Typical materials are wood and metal. You can use chicken wire and old pallets to make A-frames.

chain link fences

Good fences make good neighbors. right? I also have chicken wire deck fencing to keep my cats from paddling. A good chain link fence can support an edible fence, such as blackberries or raspberries. I use thornless cultivars for my hedges. My chicken wire fence supports a variety of vines. It also helps install stakes in my containers for warming squash and cucumbers. And yes, you can tie string to it to grow little vines on it.

cattle plate

A metal lattice-shaped structure that in some cases can be modular. I use a product called A VineSpine, which can be joined together to form lines or arcs. Mine wasn’t cheap, but it was a very worthwhile investment. *See lessons in gardening below.

Pallets and window boxes

Fill pallets with soil, lean them against a wall, and fill them with vegetables, herbs, or anything with shallow roots. They also make decent A-frames. Shallow root vegetables or flowers to attract pollinators grow well in window boxes.

in the articleIn this article, Kara shares some of her mom’s tips about gardening when she “can’t.” Some of her creative ideas can be modified to be used as garden options with a small space.

Gardening lessons: fads

During my early years in gardening, I realized that these cheap tomato cages aren’t really the best tomato support. What I need is something stronger, more robust and stable. Using the internet, I researched many possibilities to the point of severe poster shock. Therefore, I decided to make something suitable for a much cheaper price.

How to grow half of your food (ad)

I went to a hardware store and came back with some wood for the crossbars and plastic struts, all as big as my thumb. I gathered my two pieces together and tied some twine so the tomatoes got bigger.

Back to the hardware store!

Definitely I have given enough consideration to the weight. I did not.

After a few months, the rafters were bent down from the weight to the point of the U formation.

This time I brought some good 2×6’s to insert for support. He made me the champ during the season, surprisingly enough! The following year, I quietly squashed for a much better option, one I’ve been using ever since. Garden and learn.

Here are some books to help you with your small space gardening adventures:

vertical gardening by Dane Alexander

container gardening For Beginners by Tammy Willey

Small vegetable gardens Andrew Bellamy

Gardening in small spaces requires some skill and a little imagination

The trellis can help the urban gardener greatly increase the growing area by using the vertical plane. There are a variety of styles and materials, limited only by your skills and imagination. Good luck and happy gardening!

Source: Organic Prepper

Jayne Rising is a gardener and book educator with a BA from the University of Wisconsin and a Master Gardener. She has been growing food in her small urban area since 2010 and has been teaching others how to do so since 2015. She is involved in a number of local urban farming initiatives, working to bring a sustainable, healthy diet back into the mainstream.