Making the Most of a Small Garden Vertical Urban Gardening

The Peterson Garden Project www.petersongarden.org Intersection of Peterson & Campbell

So you don’t have a farm? You can still grow your own food!

Small space gardening is all about making the most of what you have.

• Anywhere you’re growing flowers, you could be growing food.

• Make every inch count: plant as densely as you can, by following the grids at gardeners.com.

• Think vertical.

Leah Ray

My home garden

Chicago bungalow, limited space

So you don’t have a farm? You can still grow your own food!

How to make the most of your raised bed: • Create a grid of 1’ squares. • You only need 6” of soil (but remember: this

means no long carrots, parsnips, etc.) • Never walk on your soil.

The Square Foot Grid Peterson Garden Project Plots

So you don’t have a farm? You can still grow your own food!

What should you plant?

• What do you love to eat?

• What do you buy at the Farmer’s Market?

• Three basic categories:

1. SALAD

2. VEGGIES

3. PRESERVING (pickles, canning, freezing)

So you don’t have a farm? You can still grow your own food!

How much can you plant?

• Not all plants produce equally

• Proper spacing is crucial for square foot gardening—heed the rules!

The Square Foot Grid Correct spacing is the key

So you don’t have a farm? You can still grow your own food!

Plant Spacing • Divide your plot into a grid of 1’ squares • Plant as many things in each square as possible • To make the most of your space, use vertical

supports for plants that can grow up, like tomatoes, squash, peppers, potatoes, watermelon, etc.

Growing vertically requires supports. You must support plants including: • Tomatoes • Tomatillos • Peppers • Peas • Beans You can add verticals to create more space for: • Melon • Squash (vining types)

Growing Vertical You get lots more when you grow up!

Growing Vertical Pros and cons of support systems

Growing Vertical You get lots more when you grow up!

So you don’t have a farm? You can still grow your own food!

What goes where?

• Now that you know what you’ll plant, and how much to plant… how do you arrange your garden?

• Think about how tall things get.

• Think about where the sun will cast its shadow.

• Elbow room: don’t smish the giants together

Here’s the Dirt My PGP Plot in July 2010

My PGP Plot in 2010 Some victories, some defeats

Here’s the Dirt My PGP Plot in July 2010

My PGP Plan for 2011 Highlighting squash & okra

The final element: time Planting at the right time

When do you plant?

• Not all vegetables are planted at the same time.

• Some need to be started from seed indoors

• Some can be planted early, others can’t take August heat

How do you figure it out?

• Seed packets are the final word

• Leah’s OCD chart

• Gardeners.com: make your garden plan there, and they generate a planting schedule for you!

The final element: time Planting at the right time

May 21, 2010

June 6, 2010

July 12, 2010

September 10, 2010

Building Community Resources on Twitter

Building Community Conversations on Facebook

The Real Experts My Favorite Garden Books

The Peterson Garden Project We CAN grow it!