How to Garden in a Small Space

“Start with the right plant,” advises Justin Hancock, horticulturist for Costa Farms. “Pay attention to the plant’s tag about the plant’s eventual size, so you know what you’re getting into. As obvious as it sounds, avoid plants that will quickly outgrow their allotted space, even if you really love them. If there are big plants you absolutely adore, go with compact varieties.”

If your space’s sunlight is limited, look for plants that thrive in shade. If your land is limited, try containers. If your space is extremely limited, try vertical gardening.

Most flowers and fruiting vegetables like tomatoes and peppers need 6 to 8 hours of sunlight or more a day. Root vegetables and tender greens can take less, on the order of 4 to 6 hours of sunlight. Additionally, there are plant options for shady areas, from perennials to vines or shrubs.

The size of your plant’s container helps dictate how big and fast it grows, Hancock says. Much like bonsai, you can keep many plants smaller by growing them in pots that are a touch too small. Do your research, though, as some plants tolerate being root-bound better than others.

No container is not a problem. Just use a soil bag to grow vegetables, herbs, even a cut flower garden. In a garden or next to the house, you can nestle the soil bag garden and cover the plastic with mulch. Learn how to make a soil bag garden.

If you don’t have a lot of ground area, utilize vertical spaces. Grow vines up trellises, train a favorite tree flat against a wall (called "espalier"), or try securing planters to porch rails to get more plants in a small footprint.

Layering plants by growing tall, medium and short plants together creates more visual interest than focusing all your efforts on plants of similar heights.

This makes your plantings more appealing—and lets you use different plant varieties without having a breadth of plants that become overwhelming.

When you’re planting in a small space, it can be easy for it to feel messy because the eye doesn’t have a place to focus, Hancock says. To avoid the hodgepodge look, edit your design using a color scheme.

Sticking to colors that play well together makes your space feel put together.

Dress up the base of tall, narrow plants (including hibiscus standards, money tree, corn plant, Madagascar dragon tree and yucca cane) by planting living mulch of a low-growing plant beneath them. Pot toppers to look for include low-growing sedum, and verbena.

Look for double-duty plants like herbs that are ornamental as well as edible. This is foodscaping at work: Look in the Garden Center for salsa garden and salad garden containers, or plant your own with seedlings. When pairing, choose vegetables and herbs that have similar soil and light requirements.

Grow bags are innovative planters made of sturdy, but lightweight material. They are easy to move when planted, and easy to store in the off season. The fabric is made from recycled plastic, and, because it's breathable, plant roots get more oxygen. This means more growth and higher yields for flowers and vegetables.

The excellent drainage means you really can't overwater plants growing in bags. Start with a few grow bags in summer, and fill with your favorite low-growing annuals like impatiens or begonias, and herbs like basil.

Grow bags make it easy to share plants with friends, too. Just fill a small bag with organic potting mix and add extra seedlings, pinches from coleus and other easily propagated plants, or divisions from perennials like hostas. The carrying handles make grow bags easy to lift and transport.