Best Vegetables For Small Backyard Gardens

I have a small backyard. It is very small. Maybe your yard is small too. That is fine. You can still grow food. You do not need a farm. You do not need a big field. A tiny patch of dirt works. Even a few pots on a patio works. People think small space means small food. That is wrong. Some vegetables give a lot. They do not need much room. You just have to pick the right ones. I tried many plants. Some failed. Some grew like crazy. This list is the ones that worked. These are the best vegetables for small backyard gardens.

What to look for in a small garden vegetable?

Some vegetables spread everywhere. Do not pick those. Some vegetables grow one thing then die. Do not pick those either. Pick vegetables that grow up. Pick vegetables that keep making food. Pick vegetables that grow fast. Pick vegetables that do not need deep dirt.

That is it. Four things. Keep those in your head.

Bush beans

Bush beans are short. They do not climb. They just sit there and make beans. One plant gives beans for almost a month. You pick some today. Tomorrow there are more. Put them close together. They do not care. A row of ten bush beans gives you a bowl of beans every few days. Plant new seeds every two weeks. The old plant stops. The new plant starts. You get beans all summer. I grow bush beans in a pot. The pot is only eight inches wide. It works fine.

Cherry tomatoes

Big tomatoes take too much room. Do not grow big tomatoes. Grow cherry tomatoes instead. One cherry tomato plant gives hundreds of little tomatoes. Hundreds. From one plant. Put a small wire cage around it. The plant grows up inside the cage. It does not fall over. Pick the red ones every morning. Eat them right there. The plant keeps making more until fall.

There is a kind called Tiny Tim. It stays very small. It is made for pots. Look for that one.

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Leaf lettuce

Head lettuce is one and done. You cut the head. No more lettuce. That is bad for a small space. Leaf lettuce is different. You pick the outside leaves. The middle keeps growing. One plant gives you two months of lettuce. I plant leaf lettuce in a shallow box. The box is only six inches deep. That is enough. Lettuce likes cool weather. Spring and fall are best. In summer put it in the shade.

Spinach

Spinach works the same as leaf lettuce. Pick the big leaves. Leave the small ones. More leaves grow back. Spinach grows fast. Four weeks from seed to your plate. That is quick. Spinach also likes cool weather. Plant it early. Plant it again when summer ends. I grow spinach next to my lettuce. They are good neighbors.

Radishes

Radishes are the fastest. Three weeks from seed to eating. Three weeks. Nothing is faster. Radishes are small. You can put them anywhere. Put radish seeds around your tomato pot. The radishes grow and finish before the tomato gets big. You eat the red root. You can also cook the green leaves. Nothing goes to waste. Plant radish seeds every week. Then you always have radishes.

Kale

Kale is tough. It does not care about cold weather. A single kale plant gives leaves for eight months. That is almost the whole year. Pick the bottom leaves first. Leave the top leaves. The plant grows taller. It does not get wider. So it takes very little space. Kale likes pots that are eight inches deep. Put one plant per pot. That is plenty.

Green onions

Green onions grow straight up. They do not spread. You can put them very close together. Forty green onions in one small pot. That is fine. When you need a green onion, pull one out. Use it. The rest keep growing. You can also cut the green part. Leave the white part in the dirt. The green part grows back. You can do this three or four times.

Peas

Peas climb. Give them a trellis. A trellis is just some sticks and string. The peas grab on and go up. They take almost no ground space. Pick the pods when they are flat. Or wait until the peas inside are fat. Both are good. Peas like cool weather. Plant them in early spring. They are done before summer heat hits. Then pull them out. Plant something else in that same spot.

Swiss chard

Swiss chard looks like spinach but with red stems. It is pretty. It also tastes good. One chard plant gives leaves for many months. Pick the big leaves. The plant makes new ones. Chard does not get bitter in summer like spinach does. Chard grows in shallow pots. Six inches of dirt is enough. Plant four chard plants in one pot.

Zucchini

You think zucchini is too big. One zucchini plant is enough. One plant gives more zucchini than you can eat. Grow it up a stick. Tie the main stem to the stick. Cut off the big leaves at the bottom. The plant grows up like a small tree. There is a kind called Eight Ball. It makes round zucchini. The plant stays smaller. Look for that one.

Use pots

You do not need a garden bed. Use pots. A five gallon bucket works for tomatoes and zucchini. A shallow box works for lettuce and spinach. An old laundry basket works for beans. Make holes in the bottom of every pot. Water must drain out. If water sits there, the roots rot.

Grow up not out

Use your fence. Use your wall. Put a trellis against a sunny wall. Grow peas and beans on it. Hang pots on a railing. The air is free. Use it.

Plant in rounds

Do not plant everything at once. Plant a few radish seeds today. Plant more in two weeks. By the time the first ones are done, the second ones are ready. This gives you a steady flow of food.

Put plants close together

In a big farm they need space. In a small garden you can crowd them. Put plants a few inches apart. The leaves touch. That is fine. The shade keeps the soil wet. You water less.

Pick every day

This is important. Pick your vegetables every day. If you leave a ripe tomato on the plant, the plant stops. If you pick it, the plant makes more. A small garden with daily picking gives more than a big garden with weekly picking.

Mistakes people make

Here are mistakes I see all the time.

• Mistake one. Planting too many kinds. Pick five from this list. Grow those well. Do not try twenty things.
• Mistake two. Bad soil. Do not use backyard dirt. It is too hard. Buy bagged potting soil. It is light. Roots love it.
• Mistake three. No water. Pots dry out fast. Water every morning on hot days. Stick your finger in the dirt. If the top inch is dry, add water. 
• Mistake four. Weeds. Pull them when they are small. Do not let them get big. Weeds steal food from your vegetables.

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A real plan for a tiny space

• Let me give you a real plan. Your sunny spot is three feet by three feet. That is tiny. Here is what you do.
• Put one cherry tomato in the back corner. Put a small cage around it.
• In front of the tomato plant four bush bean seeds.
• On the left side put a small pot with five green onion seeds.
• On the right side plant six leaf lettuce seeds.
• In the front row plant ten radish seeds.

That is it. That small setup gives you tomatoes every day. Beans every few days. Onions for cooking. Lettuce for salad. Radishes every three weeks. Not bad for a tiny space.

When to plant?

• Spring is for peas lettuce spinach radishes. Plant them when the ground is not frozen.
• Summer is for bush beans cherry tomatoes zucchini green onions. Plant them after the last cold night.
• Fall is for lettuce spinach kale radishes again. Kale keeps growing even after light snow.

You can do this

A small backyard is enough. You do not need a farm. You do not need money for expensive tools. You just need a few pots some good dirt and a few seeds. Pick two vegetables from this list. Start there. Plant them this week. Water them every day. In one month you will eat food you grew. That the best vegetables for small backyard gardens.

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