How To Grow Food In A Small Space

Grow

17 Nov

Written By

More and more of us are living in cities and urban areas where even modest backyards are becoming something of a rarity. Many of us are living in apartments with tiny balconies and in townhouses with small paved courtyards. I am one of those people. In early 2021 my partner and I purchased a two-storey, three-bedroom townhouse. Our townhouse comprises of a decent sized balcony and a small, mostly paved, courtyard downstairs. Since moving in I have been setting up an edible garden in both spaces with success. You might be wondering how I do it so let me help you so you can do it too. Below are my tips on how to grow food in a small space.

I am proof that growing a lot of different foods within a very limited area is possible. If you reside in an apartment or small townhouse there are obviously going to be limitations to what you can grow but that doesn't mean you can't grow food. As house prices continue to rise and our urban areas become more and more densely populated, growing food on balconies and in tiny yards will become the norm. We can all grow food, no matter where we live, so without further ado, here's how to grow food in a small space.

Vertical gardening

vertical gardening, snow peas, green, plants

The trick to small space gardening is to make use of as much space as possible. The best way to do this is to take advantage of vertical spaces. Growing up is an easy way to get more out of your area.

There are many ways to grow food vertically, it really depends on what you're growing and the space you have available. For me, I am lucky that I have a balcony and a small courtyard. On my balcony I am currently not using the vertical spaces to grow food, it is still a work in progress. The plan though is to grow edibles on the balcony rails and on the privacy screen. I also plan to grow a vining fruit like Kiwi or passionfruit up and over the pergola.

Downstairs, however, there is a lot more going on. I am using a green wall to grow a mix of non-edibles and edibles. My green wall is also still a work in progress but as it stands I am growing some lettuces and coriander. Other vegetables I am thinking of adding to the green wall include things like spinach, kale, silverbeet/swiss chard, beetroot, carrots, radish and other herbs like parsley and mint.

Along the Colorbond fences, I am currently growing snow peas and in hanging baskets, I am growing some cherry tomatoes. On another wall that gets full sun for most of the day, I plan to install another green wall to grow sun-loving herbs like basil.

Both my downstairs and upstairs areas are still in their infancy, there is still much to do. But as you can see, I am trying to grow as many things upwards as I can. Using your vertical spaces will allow you to grow more food, but also a variety of food. Utilise your walls, fences, balcony railings, windowsills, downpipes, pergolas and poles. Take advantage of whatever vertical space you have.

High yielding, minimal effort

When it comes to growing food in compact spaces it's really important to prioritise foods that are easy to grow and don't require a lot of effort. This is probably my favourite concept. In other words, plants which give us lots of food for the least amount of effort.

snow peas, legumes, vegetables

We live in a busy world, we work during the week, we get stuck in traffic, we have kids to look after, cook and clean, friends and family to see and other important things in our lives. High yields that require minimal intervention means we don't have to be out there on our balconies and courtyards tending to our food crops for several hours each day. This will give us more time and reduce our stress. The easier it is to garden, the more likely we will do it and continue to do it.

Here are a few examples of foods that I have personally found to be high reward for low effort.

Strawberries
Basil
Rosemary
Ginger
Potatoes
Snow peas

Grow food indoors

sprouts, growing food, nutritious food

Not all foods need a lot of space to be grown, many herbs, including basil and parsley, can be grown indoors in small pots on a sunny windowsill. Another thing that can be grown indoors is mushrooms, which are excellent to integrate into a lot of different cuisines. Mushrooms are also really high yielding for very minimal effort.

Two other foods that should not be overlooked are microgreens and sprouts. Microgreens and sprouts like mushrooms are high yielding and don't require a lot of effort.

I have also written an article titled 5 foods anyone can grow in small spaces which goes through more information about these listed foods.

If you're interested in growing your own mushrooms then check out Biome. Biome has an awesome variety to choose from at competitive prices. There are also several different microgreen kits to choose from.

Perennials over annuals

Many of us, including myself, get a bit distracted with trying to grow vegetable crops, many of which are annuals (plants that live for one growing season). A few common examples of annuals include potatoes, peas and tomatoes. But, not all food crops are vegetables and not all are annuals, many edibles are perennials (plants that live for many years).

Growing perennials over annuals has many benefits, probably the biggest one being that your crops will continue to live on and produce food year after year. Annuals on the other hand require much more hands-on work, needing to be harvested and replanted each season.

I think we small-space gardeners should really prioritise perennials where possible. This goes back to the high reward for little effort principle.

Some great examples of crops and fruit trees which will continuously give and give for many years include, but are not limited to:

Dwarf citrus trees
Dwarf apple, pear, nut and stone fruit trees
Blueberry shrubs
Strawberries
Dwarf avocado trees
Rhubarb
Raspberries and blackberries
Currants
Passionfruit
Grapevines

Multi-purpose plants

Because we live in smaller houses and have smaller gardens, we have to be more selective with what we grow. That is why growing food crops that have more than one use is really critical. There is no right or wrong reason for what you deem multi-purpose, whatever is suited to you. An example of a multi-purpose plant could be a dwarf apple tree. The apple tree provides you with fruit, it provides flowers for bees and it loses its leaves during the colder months, perfect carbon for a small compost tumbler. Another example is the humble nasturtium. Nasturtiums provide flowers for pollinators, they attract pests away from your more valuable crops and most importantly, the entire plant is edible.

nasturtium, flowers, orange, florals

As you can see, these two are really great options for balcony gardeners. There are many other edible food crops perfect for compact gardens that serve countless functions. When deciding on plants think of what you really want from them. Do you want them to lose leaves so you can make leaf mould? Are you trying to attract more pollinators or to deter pests? Or, maybe you want a plant that has a beautiful aroma. Whatever the reasons it doesn't matter, just remember that small edible gardens should prioritise those that serve more than one function.

Multiple plants in large pots

It is possible to grow multiple plants in the same pots. I like to think of this as a mini food forest. As long as the plants don't all compete with each other. Hannah Moloney from Goodlife Permaculture provided a great example of this on Gardening Australia. She planted a lemon tree with underplantings of warrigal greens and sweet alyssum. It is also possible to mimic this in a large pot. You could substitute the lemon tree with another dwarf citrus or stone fruit, nut or apple tree and the ground covers swapped with others like mint, strawberries, chamomile, native violets or marigolds.

Get creative with multi plantings. Try planting multiple lettuces in a pot, or several different herbs in another. Another alternative is companion plantings in one container. Tomatoes for example pair really well with marigolds, basil, parsley, nasturtiums, and borage among many others. Companion plantings are a great way to grow multiple plants that all benefit each other and save space.

Flowers

Pollination is required for some food plants, so it is vital to include flowers. Other flowers are really good bird attractants. But we can take this one step further. Why not grow flowers that provide a food source for pollinators and birds but also for ourselves. There is a long list of edible florals you can grow in small spaces. Marigolds and nasturtiums are popular choices. Other great options include calendula, borage, chamomile, pansies, sunflowers, alyssum and violets. Flowering herbs thyme and rosemary are also great universal plants. Even the flowers of some of our favourite foods are delicious. Zucchini flowers, pea flowers, broad bean flowers, chive flowers, kale and Asian greens which have bolted, such as pak choi and bok choi are all edible too! Another option to consider is the much-maligned Dandelion. Dandelions are often classified as annoying weeds, but they are in fact extremely nutritious and a favourite food source for bees.

Flowers can easily be grown in tubs and containers. By growing florals, we can then start to integrate them into our diets. Flowers are extremely versatile, native violas and borage are great in salads. Freeze pansies and violas in ice cubes. Use dandelion leaves in salads and stir-fries. Brew chamomile or dandelion flowers into teas and add sunflower seeds to yoghurts, granola and homemade muffins and bread. The list of things you can do in the kitchen with flowers is endless, get creative and jazz up your diet using flowers.

What you could grow

And finally, below is an example of what you could potentially grow on a small patio or apartment balcony.

A blueberry shrub growing in a medium-sized pot
A self-fertile, dwarf peach tree in a large pot with strawberries growing at the base as a living mulch.
Dwarf orange and/or mandarin in a medium-large sized pot with warrigal greens and sweet alyssum acting as a living mulch.
Strawberries growing in hanging pots or baskets over a balcony railing
A larger container growing tomatoes and nasturtiums
A vertical garden on a partly-shaded wall filled with leafy greens and herbs including lettuce, spinach, silverbeet, mint, coriander and kale.
Jars of sprouts and a mushroom kit on the kitchen bench
Basil and parsley in small pots on a sunny windowsill.

As you can see, it is possible to grow a lot of food in a small space. From small berries to stone fruit and citrus to herbs and lettuce, sprouts and mushrooms. As I said at the very beginning, there are limits due to space constraints but growing a good amount of food is doable.