Community ClicksDo you think you need a big garden to grow a lot of vegetables?
You really don’t! A four-by-four-foot space can grow substantial amounts of fresh produce and help reduce your grocery bill.
Use all of your space
When planting, space individual vegetable plants closely together, following the minimum spacing recommended on the back of the seed packet.
In addition to minimizing the space used, vegetables grown closely together block out most weeds, limiting the need for weeding. This practice, often called intensive or high density gardening, is based on the “Square Foot Gardening” approach promoted by Mel Bartholomew in the 1970’s.
For plants that need large spaces, such as broccoli or cauliflower, consider sowing a fast-growing crop like radishes in-between them.
The faster growing crops can be harvested before the larger plants shade them out.
Another way to use your space efficiently is to sow a quick-maturing crop such as radishes, chard or mixed greens immediately after harvesting a longer-maturing crop.
But, be sure to rotate crops in successive plantings (in other words, plant vegetables from a different family) to avoid a build up of pathogens and pests in the soil.
You might also consider going vertical; pole beans, cucumbers, squash, peas, tomatoes and other crops grow extremely well on vertical supports while taking up only a small area of soil.
No garden — no problem
You can grow carrots, zucchini, lettuce and most vegetables in pots or tubs on your patio.
Growing vegetables in containers is a great way to get children interested in gardening.
You can also plant vegetables in a bag of potting soil.
Lay the bag flat and cut multiple 1- to 2-inch drainage slits in the bottom. Turn the bag over and remove a rectangle of plastic from the top of the bag and plant starts or seeds right into the potting soil.
Potatoes can be grown in sacks made of a permeable material such as landscape fabric that are 12- to 18-inches in diameter and 18-inches high. Six fingerling potatoes yield about six to
9 pounds of tasty new potatoes.
Use all four seasons
As the weather cools, you can still produce good vegetables as long as you give them shelter from the adverse weather.
Focus on plants that grow better in cooler temperatures including chard, spinach, leeks
and kale.
Cold frames can be made from wood, bricks or straw bales with a transparent cover such as an old window to allow in light and help keep the temperature up.
Row covers or plastic covered tunnels or hoop houses will also extend your growing season.
Growth in these sheltered areas will be slower than in the summer, but you can grow vegetables year round using them.
Giving back to the soil
Intensive cultivation and succession planting can quickly deplete nutrients in your soil.
Whenever possible add compost or an organic fertilizer immediately after harvesting a crop to maintain soil fertility.
Intensive cultivation of vegetables is not difficult, does not even need a garden and can be a whole lot of fun. Give it a try!
Bob Cain is a certified WSU Clallam County Master Gardener.
For more gardening information, attend the Green Thumb Gardening Tips Brown Bag Series at the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St. in Port Angeles.
The free educational events are held at noon on the second and fourth Thursday of each month.
On Aug.11, Bob Cain will provide more tips about vegetable gardening on the North Olympic Peninsula.
