How to Create a Great Garden in Small Space

For small space dwellers, the decision of whether or not to introduce a dining setup into the main living space is always a conundrum. However, I've found the perfect folding table for all apartment owners that want to maximize their living space while also being able to entertain guests.

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones are based on the temperature conditions of the place. They range from zones 1a to 13b. Most of the United States comprises zone 3a, which has a low temperature of around -40 and -35 degrees (F), and zone 8a, with 10 to 15 degrees. Outdoor gardening is on hold as by December, most annual plants have finished their cycles and been taken up, and many perennials are dormant.

When you’ve got the urge to grow flowers or veggies, but don’t have the space, vertical gardens are the perfect solution. Whether you live in an apartment, have a small yard or want to bring the outdoors inside, by going up instead of out, you can have the lush flower or food garden you’ve always craved.

You can enjoy a fragrant garden, even if you don’t have space to garden. As the majority of the fragrant plants are mainly vines or shrubs, you can easily grow them in pots. Arrange these fragrant plants on your balcony, patio or rooftop garden according to your preference and climate.

Fitting in more stuff into smaller spaces is a life-saving hack. It only demands a few tricks to utilize the available space wisely. Check out our exclusive list of Crazy Hidden Spots in Your Home to Add More Storage to Small Spaces!

You can still grow some vegetables and herbs without having a big garden: TheseDIY Vertical Vegetable Garden Ideas can help you create more space for your favorite edibles!

The day I meet David Godshall, one of the founding members of the progressive landscape architecture firm known as Terremoto, I climb the concrete steps outside his home in East Los Angeles, open a worn hinged gate, and see his garden for the first time. What I find is not quite what I was expecting, yet it makes perfect sense. Rather than the composed plants and austere rigor of the poolside landscaping Terremoto designed for actor Mandy Moore, for example, Godshall’s own garden is a tangle of mostly native and low-water plants, placed in a way that seemed haphazard but that the plants seemed to love. A dirt path is surrounded by bursts of unruly pitcher sage, sprawling California buckwheat, and Ceanothus ‘Ray Hartman’, all flourishing under the canopy of a Western sycamore. Cross-sawn timber planks from fallen local trees that otherwise would’ve been pulped weave through the yard like mini-bridges for his kids to play on. Raised beds tumble down the slope. A fashionable composter (yes, there is such a thing) sits under the eaves of a house that’s been painted black. Meanwhile, in one corner, a clawfoot cast- iron bathtub sits on a humble wood-plank base. This, I find out later, is where Godshall likes to bathe. 

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Container gardening with native plants is a great way to fit more into a small space or simply to squeeze more natives onto your patio. While these plants don’t naturally grow in confined spaces, many take well to containers.

First, find something to contain your items in– a water can, planter, pot or basket is fine. After this decide which items you need to stuff in it?

If you are looking forward to having homegrown vegetables but don’t have much space for that, then working on these Tips to Grow More Vegetables in Small Space is ideal for you!

Knowing how to improve flower bed soil without starting from scratch is an important gardening skill. You can make any soil better by digging it all up and mixing in new materials or starting over with top quality dirt. This isn’t realistic in established gardens, but there are other solutions.