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Making The Most Of Small Gardens


There is nothing more frustrating than having a love of gardening and not having the room for gardening projects. Small gardens can be a challenge, but with a little thought, small gardens can be functional as well as beautiful.

You Can Always Go Up!

Even though your small garden is limited in square footage, you can always go, or better yet, grow, up. You can maximize on space in a small garden by growing vining and trailing varieties of plants and making sure that they trail up, instead of across the ground. In a vegetable garden, cucumbers, beans, squash, pumpkins, and even watermelon can be grown on trellises. When you plant vegetables on a trellis, you can get a huge harvest of vegetables from a significantly smaller amount of space than if you had planted them traditionally.

One of the best things about planting your vegetable garden on a trellis is that your vegetables wont get rotted from sitting on the ground. Air is also better able to circulate around your plants causing them to grow larger and be much healthier.

Another twist on the idea of growing our small gardens up is to plant many things in hanging baskets. It is amazing, how many plants you can fit on a small balcony or patio. Even if you dont have a yard, you can grow tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, and herbs in hanging baskets. Since hanging baskets take no space on the ground, they leave you lots of room for traditional planting.

You Can Always Go In!

If you dont have a big yard, you can increase the yield of your garden by growing many things indoors. Any sunny window ledge can become a great spot for a container garden. You can grow many different kinds of vegetables and herbs indoors. When you grow plants inside, you can also grow plants that normally would not survive the winter in your location. Try and tuck plants away into places that you normally wouldnt think to have plants. Grow lavender or aloe in your bathroom, herbs in your kitchen, and a small lemon or avocado tree in your living room. Not only will these plants provide you with tasty fare, they will become conversation pieces every time you have guests.

You Can Always Grow In Unique Places

Small gardens do not have to follow the same rules as large gardens. It is perfectly acceptable to plant flowers and vegetables next to each other in small gardens. Dont be afraid to plant cabbage next to your roses or herbs next to your daisies. Planting things together that are normally planted in separate beds is fun, visually exciting, and a great way to make extra space in small gardens.

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Because the container itself is a smaller space than a garden in the yard, the soil will generally dry faster than in the yard, so you may need daily watering, depending on how hot and dry the weather is. Try and tuck plants away into places that you normally wouldnt think to have plants. If you dont envision yourself dining on the patio, place an outdoor couch, chairs, or even a lounge in that spot and prepare to spend summer evenings relaxing with a cool drink, a good book and the sights of your garden surrounding you.


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You can arrange pots in each corner using bigger pots in the back of the arrangement and smaller plants in front. Start your miniature gardens and keep one in every room for beauty throughout the house. Balcony gardens are perfect for sprucing up the outside of a house or apartment and theyre fun to create. One thing that is important when creating the perfect patio garden is to create a feeling of walls with your plants.