Tips for gardening in small spaces and spaces with challenging conditions

Introduction

Gardening is an act of creation, in which you nurture and grow something beautiful with your own two hands. But when you live in a small space or a challenging spot, gardening can be especially difficult. That’s why I’ve compiled my best tips and tricks for creating a sustainable garden even if you only have a few square feet to work with. Here are my top suggestions:

Plan out your space.

Before you start, it’s important to consider what kind of space you have. If it’s a small patio or balcony, clearly delineate zones for different activities: gardening in one area, seating in another and so on. You might also want to think about creating zones based on other factors — for example, if your garden is mostly shady but has a sunny spot where you’d like sunflowers and tomatoes planted, those two could be grouped together (but not too near each other).

Once these basic guidelines have been established and mapped out by yourself or a professional landscaper who can advise on soil conditions and orientation of the home — which are key factors in deciding what plants will thrive where — consider the following factors when designing each zone:

Color: Think about whether certain colors will grow better under certain conditions; for example, some shades need more sun than others do in order to look their best.
Texture: Don’t forget texture! A simple trick that helps define sections within an outdoor space is by adding different materials such as wood planks or boulders for visual interest; just remember not to overcrowd with too many different textures unless they serve an aesthetic purpose like highlighting something special about your garden (like an unusual plant type).

Use a variety of pots.

If your space is limited, try using a variety of pots. Pot shape, pot size, and pot color all affect how a plant looks at different stages of its life cycle. Choose pots that are tall and short but not too wide, or large and small but not too squatty. Most importantly, choose what you like!

Using multiple pots will help ensure that there’s never an empty spot in your garden bed—and it also makes it easier to swap out plants as they grow or die out over time.

Go vertical with your planting.

One of the best ways to save space in your garden is to grow plants vertically. This can be done by planting them in hanging baskets, on trellises or fences, or even in containers on a porch railing. Planting vertically is also a good way of enabling you to grow plants that would otherwise take up too much space. For example, if you have a small patio but want to plant tomatoes for your kitchen table salads, then growing them up will enable you to get more fruit from the same amount of space. Another way of working with limited sun conditions is by making sure that all parts of each plant are shaded under some kind of canopy – like this!

Brighten up spaces with reflective surfaces.

Reflective surfaces can be a great way to make a small space feel larger. Mirrors and other reflective surfaces will reflect light, color, and even plants into your garden. If you have a small courtyard that gets sunlight during the day but it’s dark in the evening, consider installing mirrors on the walls so they’ll reflect more light into the space while also making it seem larger than it is. You can go one step further by planting colorful flowers or herbs in pots next to these mirrors; their colors will also be reflected into your courtyard giving it an added burst of color!

Designate gardening zones.

One of the best ways to maximize your space is by designing with garden zones in mind. A garden zone is an area within your garden that houses a group of plants that are all related to each other or have similar growing conditions. Zones can be used to separate different types of plants and make it easier for you to manage them later on, such as separating herbs from other edibles so that they don’t become cross-pollinated by your tomatoes and peppers.

Use simple, yet beautiful containers.

The easiest way to add color and interest to your garden is with containers. Add a variety of shapes and sizes, textures, and colors. In addition to the simple pleasure it will bring you, this can also help disguise challenging conditions in your yard or small space (such as harsh sun or wind).

Plant smaller flowers in larger containers.

One of the easiest ways to make your garden look bigger is by using large planters. You don’t need a lot of space if you have large plants in containers. You can even use a few decorative pots on the patio or balcony.

Smaller flowers are easier to manage and take up less space than larger ones, so if you have limited space, it’s best to choose smaller varieties that require less maintenance.
Smaller plants also require less water and fertilizer, which means you won’t need as much time or money maintaining them as compared with larger varieties
Plants that would otherwise spread over an entire lawn or bed can be contained within one container, making them easy to move around when planting season comes around again next year! This means that gardening doesn’t need a huge investment in tools like shovels since they’ll only be used once every other year when doing maintenance work instead – just grab some pruning shears instead!

Plant the tallest plants in the back with shorter plants in front of them.

This is a rule that I have found to work well for me, but it’s not an absolute rule. The key idea here is that taller plants tend to be more mature and produce more shade, which can make it harder for smaller plants to get enough light. This also makes them more susceptible to wind damage and insect infestations from above. This isn’t always true though; some tall perennials are very hardy against insects and animals (insects are less likely than animals) so don’t let this discourage you from planting something like asparagus under fruit trees!

Use garden borders to create individual gardens within a larger space to visually separate areas and define zones.

Use garden borders to create individual gardens within a larger space to visually separate areas and define zones.
Choose plants that are similar in color and texture to the surrounding plants. This will help them blend into the overall design.
Choose plants that are native to your area, as they’re adapted for local conditions and not necessarily easy-care plants like those from warmer climates (e.g., cacti).
Choose drought-tolerant plants, which require little maintenance once established, allowing you more time to spend planting new areas of your garden or enjoying it!

Group containers of similar colors together and keep other colors separate to make different areas pop.

When there are many different plants in your garden, group containers of similar colors together and keep other colors separate to make different areas pop.

Think about a color wheel. Grouping together plants that have complementary colors brings harmony to the garden. If you are planting a lot of flowers, choose several shades of pink or red for one area, then use blue flowers for another area, then yellow and orange flowers for another area.

If you want to create a more natural look in your garden, use a variety of greens (from light to dark), browns (from pale to deep) and blues (from light to dark). These are pleasing on the eye and help give depth to small spaces where other elements may be lacking.

Use climbing vines or hanging plants to cover awkward corners or bare walls.

One of the best ways to make your small garden feel larger is to use plants that climb and cover whatever you have in the way. This can be a wall or a fence, or even railings or arbors if you have enough space. Climbing plants will also help add privacy from neighbors if they’re looking into your backyard from their windows, so it’s definitely worth considering!

Work within your space to create a beautiful, productive garden.

Work within your space to create a beautiful, productive garden.
Use containers to create more space. For example, you can build up soil or mulch around the base of large containers (which will also help with drainage). You can also use floor-to-ceiling shelves or hanging planters that give you more vertical growing room.
Use vertical space to grow plants indoors or out. You could plant dwarf trees or shrubs in pots and place them near windows for added light; you could also grow vines along trellises on the sides of buildings or fences—or even against walls where they won’t be seen!
Reflective surfaces are another way to brighten up any room with little natural light—and they’re easy to find these days since so many companies make them as well as metal grilles and window screens made out of reflective materials like aluminum oxide panels (which are often used indoors) because they bounce light around the room so effectively at night especially when combined with candles on tables etcetera.”

Conclusion

With a little creativity, you can create a beautiful space to grow your plants. These tips are just jumping-off points, meant to give you an idea of what’s possible with limited space and less-than-ideal conditions. The most important thing is that you have fun while doing it!