No Land, No Problem: Gardening in Small Spaces
By John Pecoraro, Associate Director
April is the month when nature at last sheds its winter coat (we hope), and ushers in the greens and colors of the spring garden. April is also National Garden Month, and so the best time to dust off the gardening tools and get your hands dirty. However, not everyone has the acreage, or even the yard, to plant that garden. That’s not a problem. Gardening can be as small an investment as you want. In fact, you can plant a garden in some very small spaces. The library can show you how with a variety of books on the subject.
If you have a window and a box, why not create a window box. Chantal Gordon shows you how in “How to Window Box: Small-Space Plants to Grow Indoors or Out.” Gordon is one of the founders of the popular gardening blog The Horticult https://thehorticult.com/. Her book is a guide to 16 indoor and outdoor projects featuring succulents to vegetables, and a variety of both sun and shade loving plants.
A few square feet is all you need to grow healthy vegetables in “Grow All You Can Eat in 3 Square Feet.” This book is loaded with information on window boxes, potted plants, patio gardening, raised beds, and of course small square-foot gardening. Bursting with colorful photographs, this book will teach you what to grow, how to use the available space efficiently, and how to maximize your yield.
“Grow Your Own in Pots,” by Kay Maguire offers techniques to growing more than 60 vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers in containers. Her 30 step-by-step projects explain the best pairings, such as growing tomatoes with basil, as well as identifying the best vegetables that thrive in small spaces. For each project, Maguire explains the size and type of container, and lists materials and tasks involved in insuring healthy plants.
You can garden anywhere. That’s Alys Fowlers’ contention in her book, “Garden Anywhere.” Fowler explains how you can grow gardens in containers, as well as herb gardens, and kitchen gardens, all without busting your bank account. She shows how to create an oasis in the smallest of spaces and outlines everything the aspiring gardener needs to know to sow a thriving garden.
“Crops in Pots,” by Bob Purnell includes plant lists, step-by-step instructions, and at-a-glance symbols of growing requirements that make each of the 40 projects included in the book a cinch. Purnell explains how to group your containers around culinary themes such as leafy greens or savory herbs. His projects include small spaces on patios, window boxes, and decks. He even shows the possibility of growing apples, oranges, and cranberries in small containers.
Herbs are the perfect plants for pots and small gardens. In “The Culinary Herbal: Growing & Preserving 97 Flavorful Herbs,” author Susan Belsinger highlights an alphabet of herbs from anise to watercress. Along the way you’ll learn how to grow, harvest, and preserve herbs. You’ll even learn how to use herbs in making herbal vinegars and butters, among other delicacies.
“The Cook’s Herb Garden,” by Jeff Cox is a practical guide to successful growing and cooking with herbs. In it you’ll find notes on herb flavors, as well as the best growing conditions, storage, and how to use them in the kitchen. This book includes more than 50 recipes for rubs and marinades, sauces and salsas, and herbal butters, among other dishes. It also includes charts on best herb-food pairings.
“The Encyclopedia of Herbs,” by Arthur Tucker, is a comprehensive reference to herbs. Its 500 entries provide information on growing, identifying, harvesting, and preserving herbs. Each entry gives the history of the plant and its uses in landscapes, cooking, and crafts.
Don’t forget to check out the collection of free downloadable eBooks from Hoopla. Titles available all the time include “Pot It, Grow It, Eat It,” by Kathryn Hawkins. This book begins with looking at the tools and materials you’ll need, and about choosing the right container. What follows is a directory of the vegetables, herbs, and fruits suitable for container gardens, and recipes for the produce you’ve grown. Among the dozens of other gardening titles on Hoopla are “Small-Space Vegetable Gardens,” by Andrea Bellamy, and Jessica Walliser’s “Container Gardening Complete.” Both provide a wealth of information on making the most of your limited gardening space.