A How-to Guide for Designing a Small Garden
How do you design a small vegetable garden? For people who have small spaces, we’re here to help with advice on small-size garden layouts!
Garden planning for a small-space garden is critical as you want minimal wasted space and maximum yield from your harvest.
If your garden is small, it’s essential to make the best use of the space you have with clever planting techniques and the right crops. Prioritize crops by choosing to grow only those that you enjoy eating or are expensive to buy. Avoid planting large sprawling crops unless they can be trained up a fence or other structure. Use inter-cropping techniques to grow small, fast-growing plants between larger, slower-growing ones, and plan for succession planting so there is no wasted space.
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The benefits of gardening on a small scale are that it’s easy to keep weeds under control and the area looking beautiful. By making space for flowers, you can attract beneficial insects that will naturally protect your crops from common pests.
1. Small Vegetable Garden Plan (Community Garden)
“Going with mostly container herbs in 2019. Trying flowers. Best results with my jalapenos and onions so they can line the edges. Strawberries are still going strong, so keep them (perennial). And I missed having sunflowers last year, so they’re back.”
Garden Location: Vernon, NJ
Garden Size: 11’ 11” x 13’ 11”
Garden Type: Community garden
Garden Layout: Mix of containers and rows
Sun or Shade: Sunny
Garden Soil Type: Heavy, clay soil
See the full plant list!
2. Small Garden Plan: Raised Beds
Garden Location: Michigan
Garden Size: 15’ 11” x 17’ 11”
Garden Type: Backyard / back garden
Garden Layout: Raised Beds
Sun or Shade: Sunny
Garden Soil Type: Good soil
See the plant list and more details about this garden here.
3. Small Garden Plan: Traditional Rows
“Suggested plot for a family of four at St. Mark Church Community Garden Come Grow With Us.”
Garden Location: Pemberton NJ
Garden Size: 15’ 11” x 9’ 11”
Garden Type: Community garden
Garden Layout: Traditional layout - rows etc
Sun or Shade: Sunny
Garden Soil Type: Good soil
See plant lists and more details about this garden here.
4. Small Garden Plan: Raised Beds
“This is my first real go at a vegetable garden. I am sure it will change as I progress, but this is an exciting start!”
Garden Location: British Columbia, Canada
Garden Size: 8’ 11” x 11’ 11”
Garden Type: Home garden
Garden Layout: Raised Beds
Sun or Shade: Sunny
Garden Soil Type: Good soil
See the full plant list and more details about this garden here.
Looking for more garden layouts? See our free garden plans for other types of gardens.
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Catherine Boeckmann
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While I appreciate seeing these layouts it would be helpful to have a compass attached with each plan to see the direction of planting N
W. E
S
I used your Small Garden Layout in my article below. Please accept my special thanks.
https://findmehobby.com/gardening-tips-for-beginners/
We find that cabbages and lettuce spread out considerably more than we thought. Plant fewer veggies so they can grow more easily ( pumpkins, too, have very long vines).
My father always did is gardening by the almanac.
