10 Small-Space Gardening Ideas Made Easy

by Ronnie Edwards
(Austin, TX, USA)

Gardening is a hobby that can deliver fresh food, lovely flora and a sense of calmness. Not everyone has the luxury of gardening in an expansive outdoor space, however. Apartments, condominiums and shared spaces have many people sacrificing their love of nature for affordability. However, never say never to the endeavor of a small-space gardening project near your living space.

Here are 10 unique ways to keep the flow of nature close to you without much room.

Creative Container Planting

Concrete may cover your tiny patio, but container planting is a method of small-space gardening that can give you several options for adding flowers and vegetables. Think beyond white 5-gallon plastic containers and make your area as natural as the pots you use.

A few unique ideas may include:
Hollow tree stumps
Earthen pots or matka
Woven baskets
Weathered wooden crates

The presence of natural wood, dirt and clay will transform the cold gray cement into a luscious small-space gardening area for relaxing.

Garden Trellis Panels

Build a cozy outdoor space by using a designer trellis to block out neighbors and noise and create a small-space gardening location. You can also buy freestanding models that are short or tall. There are several flowering vines that can make a colorful statement to your entrance or at the edge of your patio as a gardening veil.

Some of these include:
Trumpet-shaped creeper vines
Clematis vine
Black-eyed Susan vine
Bridal veil vine plant

There are many other flowering vines to consider. Make sure that the area you choose will not be competing for attention with large showy flowers. For a milder spotlight, ivy might be a better selection.

Raised Gardening Beds

You can do more than placing potted plants on outdoor steps to bring meaning to vegetation. If you have steps leading up to your front porch, don't miss your chance to grow some greens. Build a flower box that extends the length of the porch and start planting. From herbs to grasses to perennials, you can bring life to any small-space gardening area.

A narrow box will suffice as long as you give your plants enough room to breathe. Here are some ideas for your front porch boxes:
Insect-repellant plants and grasses
Bundles of herbs that create a scent
Wildflower selections that grow independently

You can use this gardening area for upcoming holiday seasons as well. Tiny LED lighting will add a festive look to evergreen branches in the winter and sprawling ivy in the spring. Another idea for raised beds on porches is to place them immediately below the interior railing where your plants will be visible while resting on the porch.

Artful Indoor Air Plants

Not all plants use dirt and pots. Small-space gardening has created the idea of using air plants for tight spots and wall decor. Without the bother of soil and water, these little tillandsias are perfect for adding sunshine to tiny spaces. A few hours of sunlight and temperatures above 60 degrees Fahrenheit is all the care that an air plant needs for small-space gardening.

Some decorating ideas for placing these intriguing little puffs of color can include:
Tucking into seashells
Randomly placing in a shadow box
Decorating the soil of an orchid or cactus

Window-Box Gardening

Window boxes provide room for small-space gardening throughout the year. New window boxes eliminate the need for painting and keep your windows attractive. While perennials can showcase the outside of your home in splendor, other seasons can create an opportunity for a welcome change.

Ferns, evergreens, wreaths, poinsettias, pinecones and twinkling lights are a few simple ideas that can be used to decorate your flower boxes during fall and winter.

Small-Space Vegetable Gardening

Even a 3' x 3' plot of ground can deliver tons of wonderful vegetables next year. Think vertical and not horizontal for tomatoes, pole beans and peppers that are good prospects for having a huge bounty of greens for fresh eating or canning and freezing.

Use 5-gallon containers if a plot of ground is not available. A sturdy pole for growing is the most important part of vertical small-space gardening. You can guide leaves upward to keep them from sprawling along the ground. For inground gardening, consider radishes, lettuce and root veggies.

Fresh Herbal Delights

Growing herbs is one of the most compact types of fresh gardening there is. However, there are a few tricks to raising the popular herbs that we have fallen in love with. You will notice that most herbal kits come with a separate container for each plant. This is because many Mediterranean herbs, like thyme, oregano and rosemary, prefer free-draining soil. Basil, on the other hand, likes consistently moist soil.

Make a display of your herbs and keep them within reach for watering and pinching off leaves for meals. Mint, chives, basil and bay laurel are other popular choices for keeping in the kitchen and providing the sweet aroma of your small-space gardening efforts.

Vertical Medicinal Herbs

Clean out the medicine cabinet and replace it with a hanging herb small-space gardening first-aid kit. Secure a pegboard to a sunny area in your kitchen, patio or living space. Brackets can hold individual pots of medicinal herbs that provide a host of remedies. Besides going natural in your daily routine, growing these herbs can help teach youngsters the value of plants.

A few of these herbs include:
Turmeric
Lemon balm
Spearmint
Echinacea

Because herbs are perfect for small-space gardening, you can try your hand at several different natural medicinal aids to help your family and friends.

Overhead Hanging Baskets

Not all planted beauties have to sit on the ground. If cramped for space, indoors or out, arrange a dancing ceiling of some of your favorite colors. Select corners for small-space gardening flowers, flowing fern and spider plants with baby spiders and attach the plants from ceiling mounts. Strawberry plants and berries can join the small-space gardening scene if the right atmosphere is available.

Gardening Cubes

Buy a few office supply plastic organizer cubes and make each one a home for growing different products. Remove a second side for easy access. Not only will your plants be contained for small-space gardening, but they can also be stacked or placed in a colorful block display.


"Ronnie Edwards is a copywriter for Flower Window Boxes, the nation's top manufacturer and distributor of window boxes and outdoor planters. He crafts informational pieces about small-space gardening tips, vegetable gardening, and more. When he's away from work, he enjoys tending to the plants in his outdoor planter and doing fun activities with his fiancé."