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Five Ways to Maximize Small-Space Vegetable Gardens

Large pots and vertical gardens allow one to grow more in a small space.

Vegetable gardening is on the rise. Gardeners of all experience levels and backgrounds are growing their own food, whether they live in urban environments or spacious suburbs and countrysides. Those living where space is limited have extra challenges, which means that they must garden differently to produce enough food to enjoy all season. Here are some of the ways that we have used to grow fresh food where space and sunshine are at a premium.

Plant in Spacious Pots

Spacious, deep containers let gardeners grow more in small spaces, like this balcony garden.

If you have a sunny balcony or patio with just enough space for a couple of pots, choose the largest, deepest pots that will fill the space. Large containers (22 to 24 inches minimum) Let gardeners grow more produce, and they have deeper reservoirs for soil and water to encourage more root growth and reduce the need to water as often. The pots must have good drainage and be filled with a quality mix, such as Black Gold® Natural and Organic Raised Bed & Potting Mix. A couple of large pots, or one long, deep raised pot, will be vastly more productive than several smaller ones, so go big! (Click here for more tips on growing potted vegetables.)

Garden Vertically

Some vertical gardening systems, like the Gronomics Cedar Vertical Planter, are very sturdy and made to last.

Gardeners with a little more space, like a small, sunny rear patio or yard, should consider growing one or more vertical gardens. Clever vertical planters are being designed to allow lots of vegetables to be grown in a small space. There are also plenty of DIY vertical garden designs to consider if you are the creative type. Whether you choose a premade product or go for a less expensive make-your-own vertical garden, make sure that the design allows for easy irrigation, holds enough soil for plants to grow well, and will last for a long time.

Most upright planting systems are best suited to smaller vegetable crops, like greens, bush peas and beans, baby carrots, beets, bush tomatoes, bush beans, compact peppers, and bush cucumbers and squash. Fruits, such as strawberries and low-bush blueberries, are also good options. (Click here to learn more about growing blueberries. Click here to learn more about growing strawberries.)  (Click here to learn more about vertical vegetable gardening.)

Grow Small Edibles

Tempting Tomatoes® Patio Sunshine is a true dwarf cherry tomato that’s perfect for pots and hanging baskets. (Image by Proven Winners®)

Smaller vegetables and fruits are made for container growing, so choose varieties better suited to pot culture. This includes non-vining bush tomatoes, such as  ‘Mountain Merit‘ and ‘Celebrity‘, both AAS winners. The tiny, cute cherry tomato Tempting Tomatoes® Patio Sunshine is another excellent choice. These are just a few of the many quality little tomatoes available. Tiny bush basils are fun to grow at the base of potted tomatoes. Windowbox Mini from Renee’s Garden Seeds is a superior little basil that’s very easy to start from seed.

There are plenty of other compact bush vegetables,  such as ‘Bush Pickle‘ cucumber, the little butternut ‘Butterbush‘, and compact zucchini ‘Fordhook‘. If you like melons, the compact ‘Minnesota Midget‘ cantaloupe and short-vined watermelon ‘Bush Sugar Baby‘ both grow well sprawling from a large pot. Strawberries of all types are great for pots. The beautiful Berried Treasure® strawberries, with their double pink, red, or white blossoms, also yield delicious sweet berries through summer.

Root vegetables of all kinds grow well in containers. Carrots, turnips, beets, and radishes are among them. Just make sure that the pots are deep enough for good root development. Upright vegetables, such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant, should be staked or caged to supply added support. (Click here to learn more about my favorite miniature vegetables.) (Click here to learn about the best fruits for container growing.)

Hang Edibles

Strawberries grow beautifully in hanging baskets and are easy to harvest from them.

Some vegetables and fruits grow beautifully in large hanging baskets. As with the pots, go big to minimize watering and maximize performance. The best vegetables for hanging are cascaders, such as compact tomatoes, strawberries, dwarf cucumbers, and peppers. The new, compact Pot-a-Peño jalapeño pepper is ideal for hanging baskets. This variety is also a 2021 AAS award winner, so it is sure to perform well.

Rotate Potted Vegetables

Potted greens and spring herbs are great cool-season potted edibles to start the season with.

Vegetable gardening is a dynamic process. Gardeners have to shift from cool-season spring vegetables to warm-season summer vegetables back to cool-weather crops. In between, smart gardeners rotate their crops to continue the harvest and encourage garden health. Plan to harvest and plant, harvest and plant until fall to boost your garden’s yields and diversity of crops. Seasonal planting and rotation keep soil diseases and pests from taking hold.  (Click here to learn more about rotating vegetables.)

Maintain to Maximize Production

Place containers and gardens where they get maximum sunlight. Eight hours a day or more is recommended. Start with great soil that holds water well, has ample air space, and drains well. Black Gold®Natural & Organic Potting Mix is ideal for growing all types of vegetables in containers and it is OMRI Listed® for organic gardening. It’s wise to add a little Black Gold Earthworm Castings Blend 0.8-0.0-0.0, which is rich in nitrogen, to pots with greens and herbs. Change a pot’s soil every two to three years because peat-based potting mixes break down, lose structure, and acidify over time.

Fertilize regularly to encourage the best growth and production. Lots of vegetables are “heavy feeders”, which means they deplete nutrients from the soil fast. Apply a slow-release fertilizer formulated for vegetable gardening at the start of the season. For heavy feeders, like tomatoes, follow up with applications of a water-soluble fertilizer formulated for vegetables. This is especially important to do just before the fruits develop.

Lack of water is the main cause of container vegetable failure. During the hottest days of summer, daily water will likely be needed, especially if your pots are in the full, hot sun. At watering time,  water until its starts to run out of the pot drain holes. This indicates that the container is saturated. Thorough watering encourages deeper root development and stronger, more stable plants. 

If your time is limited, consider investing in drip irrigation for pots. It also helps to add an extra layer of porous organic mulch to keep surface water from evaporating. Leaf mulch, straw, or grass clippings are all great options for pots that break down quickly while providing a little extra protection. (Click here to read about the 8 best watering strategies for plants.)

Spring Salad Pots For Quick, Easy, Fresh Eating

Last year I experimented with salad pots with great results. This shows some of the pots just after planting. They contain mixed lettuce, bok choi, and beets. Another pot contained six large Romaine lettuce plants.

My first spring salad pots were grown in large, inexpensive plastic containers that I bought from the garden center. I filled them with some Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Mix and added a little fertilizer. They performed so well that I couldn’t believe it. Just a few pots provided delicious salads through spring, so this year I decided to redo this year’s salad containers with a little more flair.

I took it up a notch by creating suites of well-paired greens and herbs for custom-made salad containers–one with an Asian theme, another French, and the last for the Italian palate. Large (18″ or 24″) pots are ideal for these plantings. This will ensure that you can plant enough vegetables in each pot to make several spring salad bowls. As I said, I planted mine in Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Mix, but this year I plan to try Black Gold Raised Bed & Planting Mix. Both mixes are OMRI Listed for organic gardening. My plant food of choice is a slow-release fertilizer for vegetable growing, though I often hit my plants with some water-soluble fertilizer a week after planting to help them take off.

Asian Salad Pot

There are many varieties of Chinese cabbage, mizuna, scallions, and romaine to try.

Asian Salad Pot: Spring Crisp Chinese Cabbage (63-65 days), Central Red Mizuna (40-55 days), Ishikura Improved Bunching Scallions (40-50 days), and Red Romaine Lettuce (56-60 days).

About the blend – This is a two-pot salad mix because Chinese cabbages are bulky. I am confident that the outcome will be worthy of a very tasty sesame salad dressing. The crisp, flavorful Chinese cabbage will combine nicely with the mustardy kick of the mizuna, the mild green-onion flavor of the bunching scallions along with the crunchy, sweet taste and bright color of the red romaine.

Planting tips – I recommend filling one pot with three Chinese cabbage heads with a sprinkling of mizuna around the exterior. Another pot can contain the romaine with scallions planted along the side. Be sure to space the scallions 2-3 inches apart. I always start cabbage, scallions, and lettuce plants indoors several weeks before planting outdoors. I start the seeds in 4-inch pots under grow lights. (Click here for growing tips.) Then I acclimate my seedlings to cool spring temperatures in my enclosed back porch. Scallions are often tender and slender at planting time, so be gentle with them and don’t plant their bulbs too deeply. One-half inch is perfect. The mizuna is a mustard green that can directly be sown in the pots at the time when you plant your seedlings–generally in late March or early April in my USDA Hardiness Zone 7 garden.

This spacing is approximate, depending on the varieties you choose. Just be certain to thin your scallions properly.

French Salad Pot

Chervil, butterhead lettuce, French radishes, and crunchy snap peas are a taste of France in a bowl.

French Salad Pot: Classic Garden Chervil (60 days), Divina Butterhead Lettuce (60 to 70 days), Flamboyant French Breakfast Radish (25-30 days), and Sugar Ann Snap Peas (52-62 days).

About the blend -The sweetness of the snap peas and butter lettuce blend well with the slight heat of the fresh French breakfast radishes. Chervil is added to provide a fresh, slightly anise flavor–much like the flavor of fennel. Together they taste very excellent with a classic French dijon vinegarette. If you are not partial to uncooked snap peas, try blanching them for a minute and then immersing them in an ice-water bath.

Planting tips – I recommend three large pots for this salad blend–one for the peas (a tomato cage makes an easy pea trellis), one for the radishes, and one for the butter lettuce with two chervil plants on the side. It is best to start the chervil and lettuce indoors under grow lights, as recommended for the greens above. The radishes and peas can be directly sown in the pots. Surface-sow the radish seeds and cover them with 1/8 inch of potting mix. Plant them in circular rows 6 inches apart and then thin them to 3 inches apart after they have sprouted. The peas should be planted in a circle at a distance of 3 inches apart and 1 inch below the soil surface. Time everything well, keeping in mind that the peas and greens need more time than the fast-growing radishes.

This spacing is approximate, depending on the varieties you choose. Just be certain to thin your radishes properly.

Italian Salad Pot

A salad of fresh chicory, romaine, and roasted Chioggia baby beets taste great with a fresh balsamic dressing and a touch of Parmesan cheese.

Italian Salad Pot: Chicory Bionda (35-45 days), Romaine Bionda Lettuce (55-60 days), Baby Chioggia Beets (40-55 days).

About the blend – The bitter bite of the chicory tastes nice with the sweet crunch of the romaine lettuce and sweetness of the baby beets. Chioggia beets are candy-striped with red and white bands inside, so they are as beautiful as they are delicious. The three taste very good with honey balsamic vinegarette and shaving of Parmesan cheese.

Planting tips – Two large pots are sufficient for this salad blend–one for the chicory and romaine lettuce, and one for the beets. The lettuce and chicory can be started as seedlings indoors, using the same recommendations for the two previous gardens. The beets should be directly sown in the pots. Keep in mind that the beets may germinate more slowly in cool weather, so you may want to plant them a week earlier than recommended on the packet.

This spacing is approximate, depending on the varieties you choose. Just be certain to thin your beets properly.

To learn more about great lettuce varieties, please watch this helpful video!

How Do You Overwinter Strawberries?

How Do You Overwinter Strawberries?

“What do you do with strawberry plants in the winter?” Question from Jacklyn or Portland, Oregon

Answer: In mild areas like yours, strawberries (Fragaria spp., USDA Zones 4-9) are very hardy, so no special overwintering measures need to be taken. You can, however, clean them up and thin clumps that are over 3 years of age to encourage strong fruiting. Central plants that are three or more years old start to produce less and less fruit. If you replace the main plants with one of the plant’s newer offshoots, you will get more strawberries the following year.

Start by weeding around your strawberry plants. You can also protect them with light straw or leaf mulch around the base of the plants. If you have older strawberries that need to be thinned and replaced, remove the central plant, and plant in its place one of the larger offshoots that have rooted. Fertilize your new strawberry plants with an all-purpose slow-release fertilizer to encourage good rooting and growth through fall and again late winter. Feed once more in early to mid-spring.

From there, I encourage you to watch our video about everything that you need to know about growing strawberries.

Happy gardening,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

What Are the Benefits of Raised Bed Gardening?

What Are the Benefits of Raised Bed Gardening?

“Are raised beds easy to grow in and maintain? I live in North Carolina. During the winter can I put a tarp-type Greenhouse over them to help protect vegetables from the cold.” Question from Karen of Rougemont, North Carolina

Answer: There are many benefits to growing in raised beds and very few downsides. Here are the pros and cons of raised bed gardening, followed up by methods to help maintain your garden through winter.

Pros of Raised Bed Gardening

  1. Deeper, Lighter Soil: If you fill your raised beds with good soil from the start, it helps root crops grow deeper and all plants set deeper roots for higher yields. We recommend using either Black Gold® Natural & Organic Raised Bed & Potting Mix or one-part ground soil to two-parts Black Gold Garden Compost Blend. If you have more alkaline soil, the addition of Black Gold® Natural & Organic Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss is helpful. Top off the beds with additional quality topsoil or amendment yearly.
  2. Easier Weeding: Raised beds have looser soil, are higher, and often cover a smaller area, making them easier to weed. It’s also easier to harvest after rain and stay clean when beds are surrounded by pebble, straw, or cut grass.
  3. Easier Harvest: Because they are raised, the beds are easier to harvest and replant.
  4. Easy Planning and Rotation: When you have just a few geometric beds, it is easier to design plantings for yearly rotation (Click here to learn more about the importance of rotating crops)

Cons of Raised Bed Gardening

  1. Initial High Cost: Raised beds are not inexpensive to install if you start out right.
  2. Less Space for Big Crops: Unless your beds are large and you have trellising, you have less space for large crops like vining pumpkins, squash, and melons or multiple rows of corn.
  3. Need Replacement: Eventually your beds will need to be replaced. Metal and plastic options last longer. Cedar raised beds are also long-lasting. Never use treated wood to create raised beds because the wood contains heavy metals that can leach into the soil and be taken up by crops.

Raised Bed Covers

Floating hoop covers are the easiest and best insulating covers to extend growing in raised beds. You also may consider adding a cold frame to your raised bed plan. They make it easiest to continue growing herbs and greens through winter. (Click here to learn more about cold-frame gardening.)

I hope that this helps!

Happy Gardening,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

Why Does My Amended Container Soil Become Compacted?

Why Does My Amended Container Soil Become Compacted?

“Why does the soil in my container garden compact super tight? I use garden soil mixed with potting mix and perlite.” Question from Nell of Salem, Indiana

Answer: It sounds like your soil ratios are off, and your in-ground soil is high in clay. If you have not added the right amount of Black Gold amendment or potting soil to clay-rich ground soil, then compaction can be a problem. This is because clay-rich soil has very small particles and becomes compacted very easily. When you add organic matter, such as the peat moss and aged bark found in our potting soil, it lifts the soil, making it more porous and aerated, while allowing it to hold water better. Mineral ingredients, like perlite, also increase aeration and drainage.

You have two options. Either fill your containers with nothing but potting mix–we recommend either Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Mix or Black Gold Natural & Organic Raised Bed & Potting Mix–or mix your ground soil with more organic amendments. We would recommend adding a 1:3 ratio of ground soil to Black Gold Garden Compost Blend with added Black Gold Perlite to maintain porosity. (Click here for more tips for amending clay-rich soil and click here to learn more about succeeding with container gardening.)

Happy gardening,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

What Hardy Roses will Tolerate Partial Shade?

What Hardy Rose will Tolerate Partial Shade?

“What rose will tolerate dry partial shade in zone 5b?” Question from Trish of Newton, New Jersey

Answer: Most roses are full-sun shrubs that require 6 or more hours of sun per day and average water, but there are a few that can take partial shade (4 to 6 hours of sun per day). Amending the soil with peat moss, applying a 2-3-inch layer of quality mulch, and providing them with drip irrigation are simple fixes that will overcome dry soil troubles.

Roses Tolerant of Partial Shade

Most shade-tolerant roses are contemporary varieties of antique shrub roses. Some of the best have been bred by the English rose breeder, David Austin (click here to view 6 David Austin roses for partial shade that are hardy to your zone). Another for partial shade is the apricot-flowered shrub rose Roald Dahl, which I have growing in my garden. The ever-blooming shrub rose is quite fragrant and easy to grow. If you are interested in a climbing rose for partial shade, try the French antique rose, ‘Zéphirine Drouhin‘. Its large, rose-pink flowers are fragrant, and its twining stems are thorn-free–another bonus.

To learn more about how to grow roses, I recommend watching the video below.

Happy rose growing,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

When is the Best Time to Plant Lettuce in California?

When is the Best Time to Plant Lettuce in California?

“When generally is the best month to start lettuce planting [in California]?” Question from Rebekah of Clovis, California

Answer: Lettuce is a cool-season crop, which means that it thrives in cool weather and can even take a light frost but not hard freezes. When the weather becomes hot, most lettuce varieties quickly become bitter-tasting and set seed (bolt).

Based on the Clovis climate summary, your weather remains cool enough for lettuce from October through to April or May. Within this time, you should be able to grow more than one crop. Just be sure to grow it in fertile soil and keep the beds well irrigated during dry weather. We recommend drip irrigation for dry California climates. (Click here to learn about adding drip irrigation to raised beds.)  If you anticipate an unexpected frost, cover your plants with frost cloth.

Clovis, California Climate Summary

I encourage you to watch the following video about the 10 best lettuce varieties and how to grow them from seed.

 

Happy lettuce growing,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

How to Grow Your Own Blueberries

Everyone who loves to grow their own food should grow their own blueberries. Blueberries are ideal for edible landscaping. They grow well in-ground or in containers. They’re bushy, attractive, and their leaves turn brilliant shades of orange, purple, and red in fall. Before adding them to your yard or garden, it’s good to know what types are available. You will be glad that you learned how to grow your own blueberries.

Blueberry Varieties Listed

Highbush Blueberries: ‘Blue Ray’ has extra-large-fruits early to mid-season, ‘Duke’ is high-yielding with upright shrubs, and ‘Elliott’ is a good late-producer.
Rabbiteye Blueberries: ‘Tifblue’ has large berries midseason and ‘Brightwell’ produces large clusters early to midseason.
Southern Highbush Blueberries: large-fruited ‘Cape Fear’, robust ‘Sharpblue’, and upright ‘Legacy’, which has very large, tasty fruits.
Designer Blueberries: The boxwood-like Blueberry Glaze® and cute, round Jellybean® have delicious fruit, tidy habits, and bright fall color (from Bushel & Berry).

Click Here for the Step-by-Step pdf About How to Grow Your Own Blueberries

Can I Grow Green Beans in a Greenhouse?

Can I Grow Green Beans in a Greenhouse?

“Can I grow green beans in a greenhouse?” Question from Angie of Fort Bragg, California

Answer: Absolutely. Green beans, whether pole beans or bush beans, can be grown in a greenhouse if given good soil, full sun, regular moisture, and temperatures that do not get too hot. Green beans grow best in temperatures between 50 and 85 degrees F. If you have only a small space in which to grow, I recommend bush beans. If you have a hoop greenhouse with a soil floor then you can grow pole beans in-ground.  I encourage you to watch the video about growing beans to learn more about raising these tasty summer vegetables.

Happy gardening,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

What Medicinal Herbs Grow Well in Central Florida?

What Medicinal Herbs Grow Well in Central Florida?

“What Medicinal Herbs Grow Well in Central Florida? I moved to Florida and I want to know which native medicinal herbs to look for and grow here at my new home.” Question from Susan of St. Pete Beach, Florida

Answer: There are lots of medicinal herbs that will grow well in your Zone 9 garden. I recommend that you read our article titled Grow an Apothecary Garden: Flowers and Herbs for Healing as well as our article about growing an Herbal Tea Garden and one titled Garden Cold and Flu Remedies. Most of the herbs in these articles will grow well in your area. You can even grow your own healing fresh ginger indoors or outdoors in pots in Florida (click here to learn how)! I hope that these resources help.

Happy gardening,

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist