Small Space Recession Garden

 Small Space Garden  No Responses »
Mar 242009
 

With the threat of more people loosing their jobs and the economy suffering, interest in gardening has more than doubled. Even the Obamas will have a kitchen garden or victory garden on the White House lawn this summer. And for those of you who feel you cannot have a garden because of a small space garden area, it is amazing what you can grow in a 4-foot garden area or eight to 10 potting containers. Many of you will be having a backyard garden for the first time and there is much to learn and items will need to be purchased. Container Garden
Creative Commons License photo credit: NatalieMaynor

With this in mind I decided to try and start a garden for Twenty dollars this year. Many gardens will cost $50 to $150 to start but with thought and planning I know it can be done for less. I have been gardening for many years but decided to treat this year as my first garden

First you need to decide how much space you have available for a garden and what your favorite or most used vegetables and fruits will be. Beans, beets, corn, cabbage, cucumbers, lettuce, onions, peppers, potatoes and tomatoes are a few of the most popular vegetables. Melons, strawberries and blueberries are favorite garden fruits. You should plant what your family will use.

For the urban gardener or apartment gardener extra planning and the use of succession planting will help with your small space garden area.

Next look for deals. To stay at $20 dollars for your garden you will need to shop wisely. I read that out local garden center have seeds on sale for $20 a packet, so this is where I bought my seeds this year. There are a few more seeds I want but I will wait to see what my friends are buying and trade a few seeds with them.

Seeds can be one of your most expensive costs in a garden along with buying plants and tools for the garden. You may also need to have your garden tilled or buy gardening tools. ( I suggest raised bed gardening or lasagna gardening methods for small space gardening) I find most of my gardening tools at garage sales or at auctions for one to two dollars apiece. If you have not gardened before you will want a hoe or spade and a rake and a small hand spade.

Additional supplies you may need:

String, boards, stakes, plant markers, soil, compost, fertilizer, mulch, insect control spray –organic of course! Water hose rain barrel, plastic jugs, plant ties, pantyhose

As you go along you may find you want something more but the goal is to keep your garden around twenty dollars in cost. And check out the auctions and garage sales for items you need.

During the summer I will be sharing this project and its results and I offer you the challenge of following me and sending in tips and photos.

Small Space Recession Garden tips:

Grow at least one thing for fun. A garden should be fun so experiment. And grow a few flowers. It just adds to the fun, a few are edible and other help control insects.

For newer gardeners: If this is your first or second gardening experience buy your tomato and pepper plants. They are a little harder to start than some seeds. I would buy the larger individual plants for about 50 cents a piece.

If possible garden with a family member or friend and share the produce. And if you have too much of one crop, share or trade with friends or give it to a food bank if you have one in your community. You don’t have a lot of space? You can still have a garden. Just use containers, windowsills, hanging baskets and any extra space available. it is truly amazing what you can grow in a small area in your backyard oasis.

Follow how to plant a Recession Garden at The Gardener’s Rake.


Posted by Denise at 7:42 pm  Tagged with: , ,

Small Space Garden Design

 Small Space Garden  No Responses »
Mar 102009
 

Designing a garden is one of my favorite parts of gardening. Why? It’s always successful! And I like combing through my seed stash and selecting new seeds, plants from a catalog or garden art to add interest to my garden space. But in many ways designing a garden is not that easy. And I must admit, I rarely ever follow my original plan.

The design of a garden does affect its success or failure so certain guidelines should be followed. This is even more important for the small space garden where space is precious. Below are several areas to think about while planning.

How much time do you have and want to spend on your garden. Picky plants that require more watering or pruning will use more time. Some plants and vegetable seem to take care of themselves. Shade loving plants and drought resistant plants fend well for themselves.

Container planting raised beds and square foot gardening methods use less time because they require less weeding and using limited space are easier to water. Setting up arbors or trellises makes certain plants easier to care for and save space.

Analyze your yard.

Where are the shady and sunlight areas in your backyard? The areas you plan to plant or garden should have 6 to 8 hours of sunlight and areas to rest and relax need some shade. That could be from trees, a patio or umbrella.

Will you be adding new plants or trees? Make sure when you plan that you take into account how tall and wide they will grow and if there are any gas lines or electrical wires close by. You may have also decided to add a small backyard pond, decorative fence or garden art.

Space

To get a better feel for the space available for any garden areas you will need to measure your backyard garden area and decide on a scale for your plan. This will be based on how big your garden is and the size of your paper. Engineering graph paper is best with a scale of ½ inch for every foot of garden. For flip-chart graph paper, a scale of 2 inches for every foot is best. Note: even a small garden area that seems simple will benefit from being planned on paper. It helps to remind you of ideas you had and to make sure they are included in the final planting and planning.

Draw a picture of the garden, as you want it to look. There are cutouts made in the shapes of trees and garden features that you can use to speed up this process. Your children may enjoy helping with this step.

You may want to lie out the new garden area or pond by using a water hose or string. Place it on the ground in the backyard area you selected and see if the size fits the yard and looks natural.

Style

The last step in you small space garden design is to decide on the style that fits you home and family the best. Is it rugged and natural? Or formal and filled with lines and control?

Consider whether you want a lot of plants that wander along the house or walkways and if your garden is for flowers, herbs vegetables or a mixture of all. Remember that vegetables take more room but by growing using vertical gardening methods you can make more use of your available space in your garden.

Small space design can take in many different garden areas and uses. With proper planning these areas will work together and may be able to be used for several purposes. But the main idea in small space garden design is to set the backyard oasis up to match you and your families needs.

Posted by Denise at 8:46 pm  Tagged with: , ,

Small Space Gardening with Herbs

 Small Space Garden  No Responses »
Feb 202009
 

Herbs have many uses from culinary to crafting. They also are easy to tend and make wonderful plants for indoors during those winter months. By using your windowsill and creating herbal pots you can extend your backyard garden oasis indoors. These small space gardens work wonderful for city and apartment dwellers.

An indoor herb garden is also a wonderful way to over winter many of your tender perennials. Dig up your favorite perennials and herbs before the frost stresses or damages them. I usually let them set a few days in an outer room and adjust to being moved indoors. During this time they are kept moist in a dirt box (spare box filled with a good mix of soil). You can plant the herbs in individual pots or use a window box. I use both.

The individual pots are in the kitchen in different sized pot sitting on rocks to promote good drainage and humidity. This is my Herbal Artsy garden! I have fun experimenting with pots for different looks.

I have two Window Box Herb Gardens. One is a culinary herbal window box and one has herbs for crafting.  If you’re using a window box be sure to have several drainage holes and use good quality potting soil to promote good drainage and soil that does not get soggy.

Place the box in a sunny spot, water when the herbs are dry and fertilize with an organic fish emulsion once a month. It’s easy to over water herbs indoors and this will create mold and soil problems. Keep the plants trimmed so that they will remain compact. They are easier to manage and besides you should be using them.

Turn the window box or pots around every couple of weeks to ensure even light and growth.

A few of my favorite window box themes are:

The Culinary Box with Parsley, Oregano, Sage, Thyme, Chives, Lemon Thyme & Basil. This is a must in a kitchen. These herbs will meet most cooking needs and fresh herbs are so much better than dried herbs

The Herbal Tea Box with Rose Scented Geranium, Peppermint, Rosemary, and Anise Hyssop & Lemon Balm. I keep a few of my favorite dried herbs that I mix in with the fresh herbs for great tea mixes.

The Aromatherapy Box with Lavender, Rosemary, Peppermint, Orange Scented Geranium & Lemon Verbena. This is great for crafting, dream pillows, creams, and so many other herbal creations.

The Remedies Box where you grow Lavender, Sage, Spearmint, Feverfew, Catnip and Calendula.

The ideas for herbal window boxes and herbal pots are endless! Herbal window boxes and garden pot mini gardens will add to any small space garden, backyard patio or indoor garden area.

Posted by Denise at 11:16 pm  Tagged with: , ,

Small Space Garden

 Small Space Garden  4 Responses »
Feb 072009
 

A small space garden can be created almost anywhere and when creating a backyard oasis design, use of space can be important. The backyard can have many demands for its space so a small garden is a plus.  This is especially important for those who rent or live in a city. So if you are extremely limited in you growing area this just means you have to get creative and plan your garden using alternative growing methods.

Square Foot Gardening is a gardening method that I have used and highly recommend. By using your soil in a more efficient way you cut down on weeding, watering and insect problems. The method uses one-foot growing sections and you learn how much room a plant needs to grow and how to use this area in the most efficient way. Using this method you can fit a small space garden in many areas.

Gardening using containers is versatile and a container garden can be located on a roof, balcony, and patio or along the driveway. Many successful container gardens are grown on a porch, balcony or in an indoor room, which adds to your growing space.

Raised bed gardening can make use of a piece of property that may sit by the garage, by a hillside or just in an area that gets sun but has bad soil. By creating a raised bed you can improve the soil, even out any uneven land and raise the bed so that it’s easier to work in. My neighbor created the nicest hillside garden and took a piece on soil that was impossible to use and turned it into a beautiful garden oasis that provides, flower, fresh vegetables and a wonderful background for patio furniture. This area now doubles as a small secret garden retreat.

Hanging baskets are also a wonderful way to add to your gardening space. Many people grow flowers but there are many vegetables that grow well and look amazing in a hanging basket, I grow an upside down hanging tomato basket every year. By growing cherry tomatoes from the bottom of the basket, they are easy to pick. And that leaves the top of the hanging basket for a bean plants, lettuce and a few herbs. Just make sure to water this hanging basket well.

One other way I use additional space for growing to use my windowsills. Windowsill boxes and small planters offer extra space and work wonderful in the winter months to extend you gardening season. I always have a pepper plant, tomato plants, several bean plants, herbs and greens growing in the house.

Sun rooms, porches, balconies and even a spare indoor room will work for a small space garden area. As long as plants have rich soil, adequate light and water they will grow anywhere.

Posted by Denise at 10:00 pm  Tagged with:
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