omelia88
Newly Registered
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Apr 11, 2011 2:04 am

I'm really pressed for space and can only grow basic fruits & vegetables. What is the best crop to grow in a small garden?

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Need more info!
Where do you live? How much space are we talking about?

Best crop to grow is what you and your family enjoy eating though. :wink:

User avatar
rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

Applestar is right.. you could be anywhere in the world and it makes a big difference for what you can grow.

But in the meantime, a couple general things. If you want to make the most of a little space, grow things that keep on producing. Beans keep coming and coming, while peas come all at once and then are done. Spinach grows for a couple months (or less!) then goes to seed and is done; swiss chard keeps coming and coming all season. Tomatoes for sure, once they start ripening will give you more and more until frost.

And think about growing vertically. Things like cucumber and zucchini can be grown up a trellis.

Joyfirst
Green Thumb
Posts: 361
Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2010 6:45 pm
Location: Southern California

Technically you could plant what you eat most. But I plant some things also out of curiosity like strawberry spinach. My plot is tiny 10 by 20 foot and that includes tool bench, path and compost pile, so right now I have 4 tomatoe plants, about 15 cucumber plants(we are crazy about them), about 20 strawberries, one 3 by 4 foot bed of beets and carrots, 1 zuchinni, 1 eggplant(okey, I planted 2 just in case, but one of them will go-can't make up my mind which one), some lettuce, lemon verbena - love the tea and smell, oregano, 3 blueberries, mint in the pot, grape in the pot, one dwarf sunflower, onions, chives, basil...Not sure, if I am not forgetting anything :roll: Well, I have a few flowers tucked in there and there between veggies. I want to plant one bed with alpine strawberries too.
I plant my stuff pretty close together, but I am not using native soil, just a mixture from square foot gardening, which I am constantly adding to- my made compost, rock dust, horse and rabbit manure, biochar, some beds have wood pieces on the bottom, I also use straw mulch, so my soil is pretty rich.
What veggies and fruits do you like to eat?



Return to “Permaculture Forum”