Small vegetable garden ideas

Get the most out of your growing space with these small vegetable garden ideas and have it brimming with delicious fruit, vegetables and herbs.

Creative small vegetable and kitchen garden ideas involve making the most of the limited space available. These small vegetable garden ideas will get you started.

1. GROW CROPS THAT OFFER RICH REWARDS

The trick is to grow small amounts of different crops that offer big rewards. Opt for easy bumper crops like cut and come again salad leaves, chilli plants, fresh herbs, leafy greens, and super-sweet peas straight from the pod. 

‘Over the years certain plants and varieties have emerged as front runners in the time/reward ratio,’ says Sarah Raven. ‘They’re the ones that are quick and easy to grow, so they will do well even if you don’t have much gardening experience. Whenever I’m asked by new grow-your-owners which plants to go for I say cut-and-come-again leaves every time.’

2. USE TRELLIS FOR COMPACT SMALL VEGETABLE GARDEN IDEAS

A super-smart small vegetable garden idea is to try vegetable garden trellis ideas, to make the most of the space by using vertical surfaces to grow crops up – this is particularly useful if you are looking for ways to incorporate vegetable plants into courtyard garden ideas.

Add in some herbs, which make excellent potted plants and can also be beneficial for companion planting, and you could have all you need to rustle up a delicious homegrown meal at your fingertips.

3. POSITION A SMALL VEGETABLE GARDEN NEAR THE KITCHEN

‘Most of the plants going into vegetable patches are annuals. They are working with a short timescale and need to grow rapidly. To enable them to put on this performance, they need all the help they can get and plenty of food to fuel this growing process. That’s only possible in full sun,’ explains expert plantswoman Sarah Raven.

This small vegetable garden idea allows placement of the crops closer to the kitchen for ease of use, and so you can pay close attention to any pests and diseases.

4. COMBINE SMALL VEGETABLE GARDEN IDEAS WITH BLOOMS

If yours is a small garden, you will want to plan for the best of both worlds, with a small vegetable garden combined with the planting of blooms. If this is the case, treat your vegetables just as you would other plants, growing three of the same vegetables alongside repeated flower planting to create an impactful, cohesive look. 

5. GROW VEGETABLES IN POTS

Shady areas are often a problem in smaller gardens, so growing vegetables in containers is an ideal choice to find the sunny spots when needed, and can even be used in balcony gardens.

Tubs, pots, troughs or even hanging baskets can be used to grow vegetables, fruit and herbs. 

Gardening expert Carol Klein says: ‘There are loads of vegetables you can grow in pots. Absolutely masses of them. All the salad crops you can grow so easily.’

Potted edibles and other container gardening ideas are particularly convenient for small vegetable gardens using a patio or courtyard space. Planting a large container with flowers and a range of crops, such as different salad leaves and chillies, is both decorative and practical. Regularly harvesting leaves of vegetables, such as chard, and lettuce planted in groups will avoid crowding. 

Make sure that your crops and containers are compatible with the growth of the plants. In general, containers need to be 4 inches wider and deeper than the root ball.

Use a good quality, rich potting mix that has plenty of organic material, and water and fertilize regularly for the best cropping.

Shallow containers – around 12 to 16 inches deep – are suitable for shallow-rooted herbs and annual vegetables, as you can replenish the soil each season when you replant.

Larger choices, such as aubergines or tomatoes, do best as one plant per container.

Herbs are excellent potted plants, as most require good drainage, so why not create a herb garden using containers. 

‘Herbs are the easiest edible plants to grow and deserve a spot on any container gardening list. Try thyme, chives, mint, sage, parsley, oregano and rosemary outdoors,’ says chartered horticulturist and TV gardening expert David Domoney.

With fruit trees, check the variety to match the size, as they will stay in the same pot for a number of years before needing to be repotted. Citrus trees can be grown in pots outdoors in summer and then brought inside during winter, and olives are also content in pots, making them one of the best trees for a small garden.

Whatever container you choose, especially repurposed ones, make sure:

• The material is safe and you won’t accidentally leach any chemicals into the soil, such as lead.
• If using salvage, check if it has had contact with agricultural chemicals or held any toxic substances. You could still use a planter you are not sure about as a cachepot, by placing a safe container inside. 
• Place crocks or gravel at the base of all containers for drainage.

6. BUILD A RAISED BED VEGETABLE GARDEN

Raised garden bed ideas are a popular way to grow edibles in a small vegetable garden.

Wood, brick or sleepers can be used to frame your bed, and there are plenty of kits on the market – or you can follow Monty Don’s raised bed tips. Fill your beds with good-quality soil, and then add your fruit or vegetable crops.

You may like to plant in neat rows or decorative patterns for a mini potager effect, mixing in some companion planting. 

Rotating the crops ensures pests and diseases don’t build-up, and also makes the nutrients added by one plant available to the subsequent plants. 

7. LOOK TO VERTICAL VEGETABLE GARDEN IDEAS TO SAVE SPACE

Experiment with climbing crops to make the most of space when you plan a small garden:

• Cover fences or walls with wire, twine or lattice for beans, peas or espaliered fruit; train vines up pergolas, and create edible screens or step-over edging.
• Attach pots to walls – or you could use one of the many commercial living wall systems available. 
• Outdoor plant stands tiered, using old ladders, stacked containers, palettes or metal stands, also offer the opportunity for a vertical vegetable garden and many different options for small vegetable garden ideas, even in a small garden with decking.

Do some research for a system that suits your location, and experiment with which crops work the best. In general, go for reliable choices, such as clumping and running herbs that regenerate after being cut back hard, red perilla, salad leaves, sugar snap peas, edible flowers and strawberries.

8. PLANT A SMALL VEGETABLE GARDEN AMONGST FLOWERS

Small vegetable garden ideas require a bit of creative thinking. Mix edibles among your flowerbeds to emulate the traditional potager cottage garden ideas of the past, where flowers, vegetables, herbs and fruit were planted wherever they fitted. 

The vegetable or fruit plants can blend attractively beside other plants. Decorative choices to tuck in for small vegetable garden ideas include frilly lettuces and cabbages, architectural cardoons, runner beans and peas scrambling up tepees, rainbow chard and feathery asparagus and fennel. 

An informal scheme, with scattered edibles, allows for staggered cropping and avoids the situation of feast or famine and patches of empty soil. 

Dwarf fruit trees can be planted directly into an ornamental bed, valued for their pretty blossom as well as fruit, and intermingled with roses as ideal companions.

Smaller edibles, such as chives, parsley and ferny-topped carrots, make attractive edging to garden beds. Perennial herbs look good year-round, such as sage and ground-covering thyme with its pretty flowers. 

Adding veg and fruit among your flowerbeds has a further practical advantage of creating a mosaic tapestry of colours and scents that confuses insect pests, making it difficult for them to find the veg or fruit they want to feed on. Flowering herbs will also attract beneficial insects.

9. GROW FOR COLOR IN A SMALL VEGETABLE GARDEN

Of course, you’ll want to grow what you love to eat, what suits your space, its position and soil type, but if you choose to grow crops for colour in a small vegetable garden, you will be rewarded two-fold with a tasty harvest that looks good while you are growing it. This rhubarb is a case in point.

10. CREATE A SMALL VEGETABLE GARDEN IN A WINDOW BOX

Window boxes are most suited to low-growing edibles, such as herbs and salad leaves, and need to suit the conditions that prevail at your window. 

Planting ‘recipes’ to try to include a mix of different mints, strawberries interspersed with parsley, or a one-stop salad garden with microgreens, salad leaves, chives, basil and edible flowers.