How to plan a vegetable garden in a small area?
The sizes of the land plots are different. Most of all in this matter, the residents of the countryside were lucky - up to 20 acres are often allotted only for plantings. But the closer to the city, the less free land. Summer cottages are sometimes of the most modest size. It would seem that you can grow on an area of 6 acres, including buildings? How to plan a vegetable garden in a small area to get at least a small harvest?
With the right approach, in a confined space, you can plant not only parsley with dill, but even potatoes, tomatoes and garden berries. When planning a breakdown of a garden, you should initially pay attention to the following factors that directly affect the future harvest:
- location of the site and beds;
- soil quality;
- the presence of shaded areas.
Site location
Land plots with an absolutely flat surface are an infrequent phenomenon. Much more often, many of them have their own drawbacks that must be taken into account when setting up a vegetable garden. So, if they are in low-lying areas, this can lead to increased soil moisture. In this case, you will need to build drainage bends, as well as add soil to the beds from time to time.
If the site is located on a slope, the beds should be done not along it, but across.
Plots on elevated terrain are subject to winds, therefore, to create a barrier to drafts, they must be planted around the perimeter with tall stands (trees, shrubs).
Soil quality and shady areas
Without human intervention, only nutritious loose soil bears fruit abundantly. Poor sandy soil requires pre-application of minerals, and heavy soil requires organics.
You should not plant crops in places where the shadow of buildings falls. But under the trees you can place bulbous plants.
Some tips for garden planning
To make good use of a small space, you can use the following "tricky" tricks:
- pick up undersized plants for planting;
- take advantage of early ripening varieties and plant them in two passes;
- combine crops with different ripening periods on the same bed (for example, sow salad over potatoes);
- plant climbing crops in hanging pots or near an arch or fence.
Types of beds for a small garden
For optimal use of a small area, you can proceed as follows:
- Make vertical beds. They will take up little space, but this will not affect the yield. Strawberries feel great in plastic pipes, and an impromptu hut is suitable for cucumbers.
- Arrange containers... Portable beds are convenient to use on any terrain, even if it is not level.
- Build bulk beds. To do this, each bed should be raised above the soil level, and the edges should be fenced so that the earth does not creep. This option is suitable for low-lying areas.
- Grow vegetables in bags. A well-proven method planting potatoes in a bag... Hanging pockets allow you to use the space twice - you can place containers under them.