How to Grow Vegetables in Small Spaces

As we find ourselves in tough economic times the idea of growing your own vegetables is catching on. This is a good and economic idea that our Grandparents and Great-Grandparents did routinely. It is easier than you think and you don't need a large yard to do it. Surprisingly you can even do it on a small balcony or deck in the city. Mother nature has overcome many obstacles and limited space is not one she is afraid of. I will give you some ideas on how to grow your own vegetables in a very limited space.

To begin with we must choose which vegetables we want to grow and if it is feasible to grow them with the space that we have. You wouldn't want to grow corn in a small area nor would you grow a large hanging plant like squash. But you can grow just about everything else. You will find that anything that can grow in the ground can be grown in a pot or container of suitable size. Just as long as you give it plenty of sunshine and sufficient water. Some examples are tomatoes, peas, peppers, spinach, and lettuce. There are several others of course, just use your imagination and what you like to eat.

One mistake beginners make is thinking that they have to have a big expensive ceramic pot or container they buy at the gardening warehouse store. Since we are trying to save money by growing our own vegetables lets save money by growing them in containers or objects we already have. Use your imagination and what you have available. Some examples you might try are old bushel baskets, small garbage cans, an old wash tub or even an old tire you can fill with dirt. The only stipulation is that it be big enough to hold the fully grown plant and gives it room to grow.

This is really the only tricky part, that is, to pick the container that will fit the fully grown plant. Try to picture how big you think your vegetables will grow and make sure that the container you choose will be large enough and stable enough to handle it. The container will need to be deep enough so that the seeds will have room to grow downward and outward. For most vegetables this will be no deeper than 6 to 8 inches. If you go with larger vegetable like tomatoes, peppers, or eggplants you will need a much deeper option. For these you will be looking at 18 inches of soil depth so keep that in mind.

If you have the luxury of a large container you can plant more than one vegetable in the container. Depending on what you are growing will decide whether you can have multiple vegetables in your container. As an example, spinach, beans, peppers and lettuce can have about 4 plants per square foot. If you are growing tomatoes or potatoes you will only get one plant per square foot.

So as you can see having limited space doesn't have to stop you from growing your own vegetable garden. In fact, you can use it to your advantage by putting containers everywhere there is sunshine and warm. You will find that you will get a great deal of satisfaction out of gardening, even if you live in the city or an apartment.