Small Space and Indoor Gardening Tips

I am proud to say that I have encouraged quite a few people to start gardening. But unfortunately, a lot of people don't have a backyard. The good thing is that you actually don't need a lot of space or a backyard to garden. It's very possible to grow lots of food in very small spaces, indoors and outdoors. I asked the ladies in the BGWG group who grow in small spaces, to provide some tips for those who want to garden but don't have much space to do so. Here's what they had to say.

Jennifer Hunter

"I love growing flowers and vegetables together in containers because it saves space, looks pretty, and brings pollinators. This box has spinach and garlic and pea seeds (that will eventually climb the drain spout) and pansies in the middle."

" More flowers and veggies together! I keep salad ingredients (onions, lettuce) close to the front and back doors for easy harvesting when I’m cooking."

Tanya Brown

" 🤔 ok....start with one or two veggies until you get the hang of growing in a container. I started out with cucumbers 😂those things ran all over the place.😂 I find cherry tomatoes, and peppers of all kind are great for container gardening."

M. Shelly Conner

"DIY hydroponics is a cost effective and easy way to grow indoors year round. My simple tutorial. https://youtu.be/OQh2JLxOKiM"

Cheryl Chandler

"Vertical gardening is great for small spaces. Living walls, pallets, pot stacking, ladders, shelving, trellises, etc. (Interplanting) Space saving by not adhering to square foot gardening and using permaculture principles by growing beans and squash on corn & peas on sunflowers, spinach under eggplant, radish before carrots.

You can seed some beans in the spaces between the other plants, then harvest and remove the bean plants when the tomatoes and peppers fill in. Container planting with pollinators and other companion plants. Plant early crops like spinach, beets & lettuce can be planted between asparagus rows. Parsley & Basil interplanted with tomatoes

Vegetables such as onions, carrots, and rutabagas don't need a lot of space below ground and even less above ground. They can be squeezed into the spaces between any number of plants, such as cabbage, broccoli, peppers, and kale. You can do closely spaced rows, plant along the edges of beds, or simply mix things up by interspersing them in whatever nooks and crannies are available."

Hayley Figueroa

"Using space effectively is important shelving like this or anything in a step configuration maximizes your space. In this space, I could only fit two or three small plants. With this plant stand, I’m can easily fit 3 times that many plants. @theurbanacademic (IG/FB)"

"Here’s another one. Strawberry pots are super expensive and the clay ones are fragile and susceptible to cracking in the winter months, but they’re great for effectively using space. My solution to this space issue was to use a dollar store laundry basket as a strawberry pot. The hole placement is perfect, it’s lightweight and easy to move, and best of all it’s inexpensive. I got mine half price, for $2. Line the basket with landscape fabric for best results. I didn’t and I had dirt everywhere after watering, but that eventually stopped, once the soil settled. Next, fit your strawberry plants through the holes and landscape fabric, with the roots on the inside of the basket and the leaves and stems hanging outside the basket. Add soil and plants until you get to the top row of holes. I left the top row unplanted to leave space for new plants and to grow another crop on the soil surface."

So, no more excuses. Start gardening today!