This is your guide for how to do more with less, to delight in your little patch of garden behind your home or in your back alley. Making the most of what have all comes down to taking the time to do your prep work and planning your design. We touched on some tips on designing an efficient garden, HERE, and as promised G is sharing her sure-fire garden design solutions, so you can make the most of your plot of land, whether it’s only a window box, just a couple of pots on your patio, or a full-fledged urban farm. These are G’s recommendations and solutions so you can make Garden Designs for Every Backyard.
Garden Designs for Every Backyard:
Space-efficient gardening can produce five times more produce than traditional row-style gardening. In addition, by concentrating your soil preparation in a small area, your garden efficiently accesses the nutrients in the soil. There is also less space for you to weed and water, which means the small plot is well cared for and can flourish. All of these shapes are equally effective and give you options depending on your circumstances:
An L-Shape:
This shape works well at the corner of a parking lot or house. You can extend the sides of the L to suit your space.
Terracing:
This shape is perfect for a steep slope and can be shaped to follow the natural contours of the space. You can hold the soil in place by laying boards, logs, or stones along the edge. Each terrace should be at least 2 feet deep.
The Round Garden:
In addition to being efficient, this shape can look artful if you grow the right things. Any combination of tall and low-growing plants can be used, so long as the tall plants are set in the center and the smaller on the outskirts. This will ensure that they all get adequate sun. Make sure you create a path to access the inner plants so that you can weed.
A Parking Strip:
If you are tight on space, the strip of grass between the sidewalk and the street is one of my favorite places to plant a few hearty vegetables. Who needs grass there anyway? Swiss chard does particularly well. Just check your local community rules to make sure they will allow this.
A Back Alley:
It is amazing how charming an alley can look with a few boxes of rainbow Swiss chard, purple Peruvian potatoes, yellow corn, and a quince tree.
Bonus Tip:
If your environment is especially urban, consider how close you are planting to busy streets and car exhaust. Building a raised-bed planter is one way to work around poor soil. But if air pollution or busy streets are a concern, then opt for root vegetables to avoid most of the grime.
Don’t forget it’s always important to consider what you want and should plant depending on your environment. Having trouble deciding? Don’t worry! G has you covered there too. Check out all her recommendations and tips on exactly what to grow HERE.
Stay tuned, in the next couple of weeks as we dive further into creating the perfect spring garden.
