| Planting a small vegetable garden is almost as much | | | | the ground. Many plants can be successfully grown in |
| fun as harvesting. Can't you just taste the plump | | | | cages, including tomatoes, watermelons, and |
| juicy tomatoes and the sweet tasting cantaloupe? | | | | eggplants. In addition to space-saving planting |
| Before you grow the area's largest pumpkin or zesty | | | | techniques, gardeners have an additional resource: |
| collards, and are short on space and time, take a look | | | | dwarf varieties and bush forms of plants that |
| at some creative small vegetable garden plans. | | | | originally grew only as vines. |
| Square Foot Gardening--A Space Saving Plan | | | | Be advised, while the dwarf varieties take up less |
| Intensive planting designs use every bit of garden | | | | garden room, the harvests are somewhat smaller |
| space available. Square foot gardens (4 ft. by 4 | | | | than their full size relatives. Geometric planting |
| ft.)are surprisingly productive. How many plants | | | | patterns make maximum use of space in small |
| planted in each square foot is decided by the amount | | | | vegetable garden plans. Gardeners use simple designs |
| of room necessary for the specific crop planted to | | | | to fill wide beds with vegetables. As they say, |
| successfully produce a harvest. | | | | necessity is the mother of invention. |
| For illustration, each single square in a square foot | | | | Vegetable spacing for small plots |
| garden plan can contain 1-staked tomato, 4 bean | | | | Beans are a sure producer and should be spaced four |
| plants, 1 pepper plant, or 50 radishes. Positioning of | | | | plants per square foot in small vegetable garden |
| plants or seeds inside the square also depends on the | | | | plans. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, peppers, and |
| crop selection. Where a single plant occupies a | | | | eggplant may need staking and space 1 plant each |
| square, set the seed or transplant in the middle to | | | | square ft. Cabbage and cauliflower produces a single |
| allow room to grow in all directions. | | | | head planted at one to a foot. Trellis or stake |
| Several plants may be planted in rows, smaller | | | | tomatoes at one plant per sq. ft. Make successive |
| squares, or at random in small vegetable garden plans. | | | | plantings of endive, kohlrabi, and lettuce, at four |
| For instance, fill a square with four bean plants, divide | | | | plants per square foot. Harvest individual leaves of |
| the area into smaller squares and plant one seed in | | | | kale and parsley spacing four plants per sq. feet. |
| the middle of each. A square can hold fifty radishes | | | | A single stake will support floppy, low growing plants |
| or twenty onions. The seeds can be scattered | | | | that might otherwise be injured by winds or |
| across the square or sown in small rows. | | | | abundant productions. A wire cage gives the best |
| Harvest early by thinning out young plants for use as | | | | support for tall growing plants. |
| tender greens or roots, creating room for the rest to | | | | Don't think just because you have small vegetable |
| grow. Trellises add a third dimension to small | | | | garden plans that means not much of a harvest. |
| vegetable garden plans. A trellis is useful to gardeners | | | | Vegetable gardening even on a smaller scale can |
| seeking to maximize space. Rather than allowing vine | | | | produce bumper crops. In fact, with vertical |
| crops to sprawl across the garden, send plants such | | | | gardening, the sky is the limit! |
| as cantaloupe, watermelon, and cucumbers growing | | | | There are many more great plans and ideas for all |
| skyward. | | | | types of vegetable gardening, (including indoor |
| Cages also can be used to take advantage of | | | | gardening), available for free on my website. |
| vertical space and keep crops from sprawling over | | | | |