Want to grow vegetables but don’t have a ginormous garden? Worry not, you can cultivate crops – from salad leaves to chillies – in spaces as small as a balcony, windowsill, shelf, countertop or even a corner of a room – not only making efficient use of your home, but brining plants into your daily life.
All you need is a few pots, a bit of sunlight and some patience and before long you’ll can be tucking into your 5-a-day grown by your very own hand
Cut and come again
“The most reliable place to begin is with crops that reward you little and often,” advises Didrik Dimmen, gardening expert, CEO and co-founder of indoor smart garden company Auk.
“Salad leaves and herbs are particularly generous in this respect – they grow quickly, respond well to regular harvesting and bring a freshness to everyday cooking that’s hard to replicate. If you pick them frequently, they will continue to produce, making them ideally suited to compact spaces.”
Consider microgreens – these can contain higher concentrations of certain vitamins, minerals and carotenoid compounds than their mature counterparts – which can be grown in a shallow tray on a bright windowsill.
Yuliia Kokosha
Salad leaves are great ’cut-and-come-again’ options
Go for height
“Tomatoes are another excellent choice for small spaces” adds Didrik, “Given sufficient light and a little support, they will climb and produce abundantly without taking up much ground space. In many ways, they embody what small-space growing is about: making use of height as much as footprint.” And what could be better than tomatoes plucked straight off the vine?
Also don’t forget to read more on tomato growing secrets every gardener should know.
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Think vertical! Tomatoes need little ground space
Pretty and productive
“It’s also worth being a little adventurous,” says Didrik, “Chillies, for instance, are both ornamental and productive, while crops like cucumbers or kale can adapt well to containers if they are given the right conditions.
“Less obvious options like radishes and spring onions are also very well suited to small spaces – they grow quickly, don’t require deep soil and offer a fast turnaround, which can be particularly satisfying for beginners. Even dwarf varieties of beans can work well in small pots, producing a surprisingly generous harvest over time.”
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Chillies are look AND taste good
In the end, small space growing comes down to consistency rather than square footage.
Didrik adds: “Ultimately, small-space growing is about creating a rhythm: light, water and regular attention. If you can provide those consistently, even a modest space can yield a surprising amount of fresh food.”
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