No matter what size, a well-maintained garden with fresh blooms and lush greenery looks absolutely immaculate. But you may be tricked into thinking that you need your backyard garden to be almost as big as your house. Or your garden needs to wrap around your property like it’s the Versailles. That’s not entirely accurate.
Whether you’re looking for ways to maximize your garden’s potential or just want to make it look more attractive, you can do tons of things! Do you want to maximize your small garden? Do these things, and you can create a beautiful and productive garden that will bring you joy for years to come!
Types of Small Gardens
Gardens don’t have to take up your backyard, nor do you need to reconsider renovating your house to make space. You can start a garden in your kitchen or even your windowsill! Let’s take a look at some small gardens you can start today,
- Kitchen Gardening: A personal garden curated in the kitchen to use its products in daily preparation and cooking.
- Container Gardening: Plant herbs, fruits, vegetables, and flowers in different sizes of pots and containers.
- Indoor Gardening: Keep houseplants and potted coniferous varieties kept indoors.
You can absolutely create mini versions of large-scale gardens as well, a scaled-down back-to-Eden perhaps on your front lawn? Yes please!
Why Should You Garden?
Gardening has incredible benefits for the body, mind, and soul. Just a few minutes outside with plants can recharge you and set you up for a great day!
- Gardening helps you get more sun! And you should know that sunlight strengthens the immune system and helps fight off diseases.
- Growing your own vegetables and eating them means you’re preventing the risk of pesticides and harmful preservatives getting in your system from store-bought produce.
- Gardening requires moving your body by cutting, digging, shoveling, and cleaning up debris. There’s your exercise!
- Gardening can help lower anxiety and relieve stress.
- Gardening is an excellent addiction recovery pastime. In addition, horticulture has proved to be a beneficial tool for rehabilitation.
- Research suggests that gardening can improve cognitive functions such as memory retention, focus, and concentration.
- Gardening is a fun solo activity, but it’s also fun with people! When you garden with friends and family, you socialize and spend quality time with people you care about.
Ways to Maximize Your Small Garden
If you have a small garden, you can still make the most of it and maximize its potential. You can create a green haven in your backyard with simple tips and tricks. Here are some ideas to help you get started:
-
Plan Your Garden Layout
Think about your space and what type of plants or vegetables would best fit in that area. Try landscaping to better understand how you can make the best out of your small garden. Consider adding features such as benches or pathways for a more aesthetically pleasing look.
Try landscape design in Rancho Santa Fe for the most beautiful and captivating designs and ideas!
-
Used the Raised-Bed Technique
When designing a small-space garden, grow your crops in beds rather than rows. Planting crops in beds lessens the need to walk between rows, which saves space. A raised bed or two is ideal for any type of home garden, but especially for gardens with poor soil quality.
Raised beds give you more grip over the soil quality while still maximizing your outdoor space. They also protect your crops, making them less prone to illness, rot, and infestations. Because the plants are grown in an enclosed space, the crops are also easier to maintain! Consider planting close together to maximize your space even more.
-
Multipurpose Everything!
If you want to get the most out of your small garden spaces, it’s best to put your money in compact, multipurpose pieces. That’s why investing in gardening tools that do double duty is a good idea.
-
Vertical Gardening
Use vertical gardening techniques to maximize the amount of space available. This could include hanging baskets or shelves for plants that don’t need much soil or sunlight. You can also use trellises for climbing vines and other plants that need support to grow upwards.
-
High-Yield Plants
Choose high-yield crops and plant them in square-foot gardening or container gardening. For example, consider tomatoes, zucchini, and radishes that produce a lot during the different seasons in the year. You can also try container gardening, which can not only help your high-yield plants thrive but also look pretty.
-
Build Mini Herb Gardens
Get an old coffee table out or even a stool to turn it into a charming and homemade herb garden. Set the plants higher and relieve your back of a lot of pain that you would experience from stooping over vegetable beds. Create more space beneath for more planting or storage.
-
Get A Multi-Functional Shed
If you have a shed in your garden, turn it into a cute garden display! Set up the miniature plants, especially the prettier ones, and arrange them according to their colors and shades. Add a swivel table in the front to turn it into the most charming garden bar! Add in colorful stools to amp up the vibe even more for summer barbecue parties.
-
Add A Seating Arrangement
The best way to maximize your small garden is by adding a nice and cozy seating area! Utilize the corners and empty spaces with couches or a bench, and transform the space into the most adorable outdoor living room!
-
Add Colorful Furniture
Brighten up the space by adding fun colors. Get a statement purple chair, or a neon green couch! Watch your small garden transform before your eyes into the coolest quaint spot and you won’t be able to get your friends out of there!
Things to Remember
Keep these things in mind if you want to maximize your small garden,
- Start small and slow. Add and renovate one by one. The transformation will take time and effort. So be patient and keep at it!
- Don’t go out buying a ton of different things. Instead, utilize your old furniture and pots, containers, and bottles. Paint them in different colors and create your own DIY garden Louvre!
- Use common plants. Don’t buy plants that may not sprout or grow in a certain season. Instead, buy plants that thrive all year round, in every season.
- Use multi-purpose tools to curate and maintain your garden. However, too many tools will overwhelm you and might even jeopardize your plants if you don’t know what you’re doing. So educate yourself on the necessary tools and only get the essential ones.
- Water your small garden accordingly. Because it’s a small garden, you may think about watering it less, but that’s quite a common misconception. So water the plants as best they need.
Conclusion
Maximizing the potential of your small garden is a great way to make the most out of your outdoor space. We hope with the tips we’ve provided you, you can transform your small garden into an oasis of beauty and relaxation. From choosing the right plants to creating a creative layout, there are many things you can do to maximize your small garden. Share with your friends and family so they can also get the best out of their small gardens!
FAQs
-
How to Care For Tropical Houseplants?
Ans: Tropical plants need a little extra TLC, as you might imagine. Here are some essential tips for taking care of your tropical houseplants,
- Use basic fertilizer. Don’t go overboard with fertilizers thinking tropical houseplants will need any special kind to thrive; use the basic cow dung and mushroom composts to enrich the soil.
- Put them in natural light: Indirect sunlight is the best for tropical houseplants. When you get them at first, put them in a shaded area and gradually increase the light exposure.
- Don’t overwater. Water as much as you’d water any other houseplants, not too less and definitely not too much.
-
What Are Some Pet-Friendly Plants?
Ans: If you’re a pet parent and love plants, consider going over your indoor and outdoor plants. Some plants can be toxic for pets and cause them to become sick and even poison them. Here are some pet-friendly plants if you’re looking to start a garden or looking for some plant options that won’t put your best friend in harm’s way,
Indoor plants
- Fishbone Cactus
- Calathea
- African Violets
- Spider Plants
- Ponytail Palm
- Fan Palm
- Boston Fern
- Burro’s Tail
- Chinese Money Plant
- Peperomia
Outdoor plants
- Banana Plant
- Money Tree
- Date Palm
- Aspidistra
- Parlor Palm
- Sunflower
- Fuchsia
- Crepe Myrtle
- Houseleek
- Snapdragons