Tiny Gardens – Plant Across the Width to Maximize Choice & Yield
Many people have only a small space in which to grow, such as a porch, patio, or driveway, and want to plant so as to get the greatest possible yield in the least space. Here’s an idea on how to do that.
You can plant across the width of a box or soil-bed, rather than the traditional lengthwise, if you’re willing to do the extra work of feeding, watering, weeding, and pruning that it requires. Remember the first law of plant growth – direct sunlight all day long – and that applies to all of your plants, for optimum harvest. Therefore, planting close together as I’ll suggest here requires that you prune your plants so that they do NOT shade or overlap each other.
You’ll also need to water by hand, to assure even coverage to all plants. And if you’re in the soil, weeding will not be as easy because of the close proximity of plants to each other. The two-way hoe is still the best tool for the job.
And remember to quit feeding the single-crop varieties three weeks before they reach maturity, and ever-bearing crops 8 weeks before hard frost, so as not to waste fertilizers. Multiple crops are certainly an option for several of these, especially carrots, kale, lettuce, and green onions.
Here’s what you could grow in a 2” X 8” box 4’ wide by 16’ long
Rows are from North to South OR East to West (Yields are in parentheses):
ROW LOC CROP – (No. Plants & Yield)
1 – – – – 0’ 1” – Tomatoes (2 = 30#), Cucumber (2 = 40#) and Vining Squash (1 = 10#)
2 – – – 2’ 6” – Zucchini (3 = 45#)
3 – – – 5’ 0” – Peppers (5 = 15#)
4 – – – 7’ 0” – Broccoli (5 = 5# + 10# from leaves)
5 – – – 9’ 0” – Cauliflower (5 = 10# + 10# from leaves)
6 – – – 10’ 6” – Kale (9 = 30# Note: keep leaves picked and harvest can be 9 months!)
7 – – – 11’ 0” – Carrots (45 = 15# + 5# from leaves – YES they’re edible and tasty!)
8 – – – 12’ 6” – Red leaf lettuce (9 = 18# – keep outer leaves picked and yield increases result)
9 – – – 13’ 0” – Romaine lettuce (9 = 18# – same as above)
10 – – – 14’ 6” – Green onions (48 = 5# + 8# from 12 bulbs)
11 – – – 15’ 0” – Italian parsley (16 = 10# – again, harvest can be season-long)
12 – – – 16’ 0” – Sweet potatoes (5 = 25# + 10# from leaves) at opposite end of box
TOTAL YIELD – Plants = 164 – – – – Production = 314#
Tomatoes, cucumber, squash, and zucchini all must be grown on 2” X 2” stakes and pruned to one stem – tomatoes right at the crotch, cucumber and squash cut sucker stems after first female blossom. Zucchini – older leaves pruned as they touch the ground or interfere with adjacent plants
Broccoli and cauliflower leaves should be pruned to keep them off the ground and away from adjacent plants (eat them, they’re edible!).
Sweet potatoes will only work in the space describes above if you can let them run outside the box. You’ll need to prune and train them so they don’t cover your onions and lettuce. These leaves are also edible – use them.
For more information visit www.growfood.com
Jim Kennard.
