Making the most out of a small space

[sumi]

Hi all, we have very recently moved to a much smaller property and I am curious to see what I can do with the space I have available here. At the moment I have two sheds, which I'm using for the hens and for storing wood at the moment. Though at the rate we're moving through the wood I brought with, I don't know how much longer storage space would be required

Outside space is limited, I have a fenced off area that I'm using for the hens and a little extra space around the house that I'm thinking may work for container vegetables next Spring.

What ideas have you all got for SS in very small spaces?

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Think vertical for as many veggies/plants as possible! And, when I moved to a smaller piece of land I downsized animals. Went from full-sized horses to mini's. Got pygmy goats instead of full-size.

I'm sure you'll come up with other creative ideas as the need or opportunity arises!

 

[Mini Horses]

yep, vertical sure makes a difference. You can plant small things at the bottom if surface available. Containers can be large, small, tall, etc. Can even hang some from a trellis or such of a bar. Potatoes are great to grow in container and by adding more soil/straw/etc. around plant as it grows taller, it will send out more roots and form more potatoes than just the pile you get when in usual ground planting. Besides, no digging to collect -- just turn the tub/box/whatever, over and out it all comes. Many heirlooms are vine type, even tho most planted may be bush -- think beans, snap & lima. If you plant corn, three sisters....vine beans grow up stalk, melon/pumpkin on ground spread out.

You can get good yields if you think "concentrated". Hand water with a compost tea. Add a few cooler veg seeds when warm weather ones are waning. One will come out as other needs more room -- beets, kales, cabbages, winter squash, etc. where your beans, tomatoes have been. Containers are only limited by your imagination.

 

[Britesea]

I have always loved this picture of ripening Tromboncino Squash. It's a twofer- you can eat it young as a summer squash, and let some mature to eat as winter squash. Mine grow an average of 3 feet long. (by the way, it's not my garden)

 

[goatgurl]

agree with the girls, vertical is the way to go with gardens. i put lots of things in tubs and surround the tub with heavy wire, mine is concrete reinforcing wire so it is strong enough to stand alone. i plant tomatoes, beans, squash and anything else that will climb. potatoes in a deep container and add to as it grows. where there's a will there is a way and i know how determined you are kiddo. you got this

 

[Denim Deb]

Square foot gardening and companion planting where you can. And, plant things like asparagus and rhubarb in your flower garden.

 

[baymule]

I planted my garden at our previous house in the narrow strip of land between the driveway and sidewalk. It was amazing what I could grow in my small beds. They were 4 feet wide and 8 to 10 feet long. I grew all year around, as we lived only about a 100 miles from the Gulf of Mexico and the winters were fairly mild.

Here is a picture of an early spring garden.

This was my bean garden. It was one foot wide and twelve feet long. It was right beside the driveway, I grew Asian long green beans in it.

 

[Britesea]

beautiful! I hope you didn't have neighbors stealing your produce? I remember one house we lived in had a Loquat tree/shrub right next to the front door. The house was on a corner, and kids used to cut across the yard rather than go the long way around on the sidewalk; we never did get to harvest any loquats- the kids picked em clean every year. NERVY!

 

[baymule]

No one ever stole anything from the garden. But then, I planted tomatoes up close to the house, LOL! In the picture above, the two small beds at the bottom (they were at the street) were planted in potatoes, as was the bed behind the blue tub. Here's what I got out of those 3 beds.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Wow - just wow!