I moved into a much larger house on a much smaller yard. I went from a garden that was pushing 1000 sq ft to a yard that is only 30 ft across, with a sidewalk running down the middle. This leaves me with an area that is only 10 ft wide. There is no way that I will ever be able to grow like I used to. Now I must start planning, rotating, and basicly kick my hobby up a couple of notches to semi-work.
Any tips or ideas on how to keep it fun? Thanks.
don't forget to count on some CONTAINER GARDENING!
1) give up low yield veggies, concentrate on high yielders. To me these are collards, tomatoes, zucchini, chard, and all sorts of cut-and-come again greens, plus onions and garlic. I also have some permanent smaller beds with herbs. 2) interplant, interplant, interplant. Lettuce and radicchio, lettuce and garlic, arugula and garlic, arugula and collard, garlic and radicchio, basically any fast green + anything letting some sun or anything with a slower rate of growth 3) plant so that mature plants will completely shade the soil (intensive gardening) to save space (and water and weeding) 4) compost under the tomatoes and zucchinis and collards. More intensive gardening requires more nutrients. Save time, effort and space by using the space under plants to compost. First pour in the unfinished organic matter, then plant right through it (then keep adding to it one bucket at a time). Typically you will have a composted bed at the end of season. You will also avoid having idle beds. If the compost is not finished yet, that is where you should plant your garlic, the unfinished compost will protect it over the winter. 5) start as many plants as possible. Starting plants in flats gives you an extra six weeks of growing season. All the double crops I am able to pull are with the help of tray-started seedlings.
You will have, as you say, to plan. In time you will see how you can use space more efficiently. I wish myself that I could get 1000 sqft and more sunlight in my garden area.
wow, 30 feet across is still more than what i had in chicago! i really enjoyed gardening in chicago, even though i had a small yard. my entire yard was a fruit/vegetable garden--no grass allowed. i squeezed in four dwarf trees--apple, plum, and two peaches, and also grew tomatoes, cucumbers, raspberries, mint, broccoli, beans, peas, and cantaloupe (plus flowers). it was immense fun--the hardest part was amending the soil i started out with, but it turned out great!
pat
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