Small-Space Gardening

Posted on March 26, 2018

by Jessica H

Small-space gardening is an activity everyone can enjoy with just a little creativity! With specialized small-space garden kits available commercially at local home stores for do-it-yourselfers, this can be done in even the smallest spaces with some ingenuity.

Window box gardening can make curb appeal appetizing. Or think outside of the box, balcony or patio gardening can accommodate a variety of edibles in any container imaginable. Vertical gardening makes room for more. With endless possibilities results can be amazing!

Taking a little time and effort, a small-space garden can mean big rewards. The yield of a small-space garden can be as big as you’d like it to be. Reap what you’ve sown and enjoy the satisfaction of mastering gardening while starting small.

Gardening Books to Inspire Your Next Outdoor Project

Check Out These Great Library Resources

Grow All You Can Eat in 3 Square Feet: Inventive Ideas for Growing Food in a Small Space] by DK Publishing
The downsized veggie garden : how to garden small wherever you live, whatever your space / Kate Copsey
Small Space Garden Ideas by Philippa Pearson
The complete idiot's guide to small-space gardening / by Chris McLaughlin
Urban gardening for dummies / Paul Simon, Charlie Nardozzi, and the editors of the National Gardening Association

Grow All You Can Eat in 3 Square Feet: Inventive Ideas for Growing Food in a Small Space by DK Publishing

Guides readers on growing a vegetable, fruit, and herb garden in less than three square feet of soil and provides tips on choosing the right plants, companion planting, vertical gardening, and handling common garden pests.

The Downsized Veggie Garden: How to Garden Small Wherever You Live, Whatever Your Space by Kate Copsey

Small is beautiful, and integrating a small, easy-to-manage garden into hectic everyday life is easy. In The Right-Size Vegetable Garden, low maintenance is the mantra. And so is making smart, creative use of the space we have – whether it’s outdoors, indoors, in-ground, in containers, on a balcony railing…or even going vertical. Garden expert Kate Copsey takes the reader season-by-season, plant-by-plant, with essential tips about soil, seed-starting, plant choices, non-chemical fertilizing, watering, choosing the right containers, veggie garden planning and planting, and much more. This fully illustrated book is a one-stop guide for the beginner gardener or the downsizing gardener.

Small Space Garden Ideas: Create Your Dream Garden on a Windowsill, Wall, Step, Staircase, Balcony or Patio by Philippa Pearson

Perfect for people who have little space to garden, whether a doorstep, balcony, or part of a wall. Small Space Garden Ideas is full of creative ideas for making use of every growing space available.

From windowsills and hanging baskets to rooftop containers and vertical gardens, Small Space Garden Ideas shows you how to create a dream garden, through step-by-step projects from start to finish.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Small-Space Gardening by Chris McLaughlin

Grow the garden you want in the space you have! This guide gives you all the knowledge you need to sow, tend, and reap the rewards of a small-space garden.

Urban Gardening For Dummies by Paul Simon, Charlie Nardozzi and the editors of the National Gardening Association

Covering square-foot gardening and vertical and layered gardening, this excellent resource shows how to make the most of limited space through the use of proven small-space gardening techniques, and includes guidance on pest management, irrigation and rain barrels and small-space composting.

Beginner's illustrated guide to gardening : techniques to help you get started / Katie Elzer-Peters
Edible spots & pots : small-space gardens for growing vegetables and herbs in containers, raised beds, and more / Stacey Hirvela
Container gardens : over 200 fresh ideas for indoor and outdoor plantings / by the editors of Southern Living
Pot It, Grow It, Eat It Home-grown Produce from Pot to Pan by Kathryn Hawkins
Container Gardening Complete - Creative Projects for Growing Vegetables and Flowers in Small Spaces by Jessica Walliser

Beginner’s Illustrated Guide to Gardening: Techniques to Help You Get Started by Katie Elzer-Peters

A one-stop, easy to understand, beautifully designed book with step-by-step instructions and photographs for every important gardening and landscaping technique. New homeowners with no prior knowledge of landscape care will learn how to turn their yards from weedy, overgrown patches to gorgeous landscapes that are the envy of their neighbors. Young gardeners or new gardeners will learn – the right way – how to take care of everything from perennials to shrubs to their vegetable gardens, ensuring success the first time around.

Edible Spots & Pots: Small-Space Gardens for Growing Vegetables and Herbs in Containers, Raised Beds and More by Stacey Hirvela

Offers advice for growing vegetables and herbs in small spaces, raised beds, and containers, as well as instructions for projects intended to personalize and accent garden spaces.

Also available in eBook.

Container Gardens: Over 200 Fresh Ideas for Indoor and Outdoor Plantings by the editors of Southern Living

Whether your looking to add some life to your windowsills or spruce up your garden or porch, this practical and inspirational container gardening guide is a must-have tool that suits all spaces and skill levels. Find charming plant combinations for every area of our home, including your entryways, outdoor spaces, hanging containers, vertical gardens, and edible plantings.

Pot It, Grow It, Eat It: Home-grown Produce from Pot to Pan by Kathryn Hawkins

What can be more satisfying than growing your own fruit and veg and then eating it, fresh from the pot? Growing your own produce needn’t be limited to those with large gardens or acres of outdoor space. It may be surprising to discover that a whole range of vegetables, salads, herbs and fruit can be grown in limited spaces, such as windowsill containers, pots, small front or back gardens and balconies.

Container Gardening Complete: Creative Projects for Growing Vegetables and Flowers in Small Spaces by Jessica Walliser

A guide to container gardening includes information on growing vegetables, fruits, and flowers; small container decorating; ideas for upcycled containers; and tips on watering concerns. Also available in eBook.

Get Kids Involved in the Garden

Gardening Books for the Whole Family

We have resources for all ages, so little learners are able to grow right along with the garden.

All new square foot gardening with kids : learn together: gardening basics, science and math, water conservation, self-sufficiency, healthy eating / Mel Bartholomew
Gardening Lab For Kids 52 Fun Experiments to Learn, Grow, Harvest, Make, Play, and Enjoy Your Garden by Renata Fossen Brown
Rocks, dirt, worms & weeds : a fun, user-friendly illustrated guide to creating a vegetable or flower garden with your kids / Jeff Hutton
Project garden : a month-by-month guide to planting, growing, and enjoying all your backyard has to offer / Stacy Tornio
Kids' Container Gardening: Year round projects for inside and out by Cindy Krezel

All New Square Foot Gardening With Kids by Mel Bartholomew

Square foot gardening (SFG) is based on a grid of 1-foot squares, offering numerous opportunities for lessons in math, science and other subjects. Includes suggestions for activities.

Also available in eBook.

Gardening Lab For Kids: 52 Fun Experiments to Learn, Grow, Harvest, Make, Play and Enjoy Your Garden by Renata Fossen Brown

A refreshing source of ideas to help your children learn to grow their own garden, this book encourages families to enjoy nature. It features 52 fun and creative plant-related activities set into weekly lessons.

Also available in eBook.

Rocks, Dirt, Worms & Weeds: A Fun, User-Friendly Illustrated Guide to Creating a Vegetable or Flower Garden With Your Kids by Jeff Hutton

Let writer and gardener Jeff Hutton show you and your kids how to grow your own food and your favorite flowers, attract butterflies, create crafts, and more. Teach your children how to start garden seeds indoors as well as how to prepare soil, plant seeds, and transplant seedlings. Additionally, there are over a dozen fun recipes and instructions for making stepping stones, decorating egg carton planters, planting a sunflower maze, and much more. Parents and children are sure to have a blast in the garden all year round!

Project garden : a month-by-month guide to planting, growing, and enjoying all your backyard has to offer by Stacy Tornio

Collects more than one hundred quick and easy kid-friendly activities for each month of the year that include growing projects, harvest-inspired recipes, recycling projects, and season-related crafts.

Kids’ Container Gardening: Year-Round Projects for Inside and Out by Cindy Krezel

Enthusiastic young gardeners have the opportunity to develop a green thumb and experience the joys of gardening in this how-to guide for kids. Eighteen time-tested, proven projects gleaned from the author’s experience as director of the Good Earth Kids’ Club teach children how to create a year-round assortment of container gardens that are simple to create, fun to work on, and in many instances, make great gifts.

Gardening - Pixabay image

Toledo Library Gardening Blog Posts

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Plan and Plant a Bee-Friendly Garden

Never Too Early to Think Spring


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