Growing veggies in small spaces - Stef Garland

Creating gardens for small spaces looks so easy in the gardening shows!

But for those like me who’ve downsized from a large garden, a new mindset and creativity is required to produce something beautiful and productive despite the constraints.

Downsizing from a large garden (Photo: Stef Garland)

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I moved to Hallidays Point in May 2022. While our new home had a small ornamental garden, for me having herbs and veggies was a must. So one of the first things I did was to look around to see what was growing in the neighbourhood. Given the coastal location and sandy soils, I was surprised at the variety of vegetables, herbs and flowers, ornamentals and even fruiting trees that were doing well.

We bought one, and then another raised garden bed with covers (Photo: Stef Garland)

I also took note of the variety of pots, containers and raised structures being used by my neighbours.

With that inspiration, my partner and I wasted no time in getting started.

We bought one, and then another raised garden bed with covers, and located them on the only side of the house that received enough sun for veggies, a narrow space next to the carport. 

I also planted a couple of poppy plants just for the pleasure. Since then we’ve added summer crops - cucumbers, capsicums, rhubarb, basil, and other herbs. The results have been amazing!  It’s truly a delight to harvest produce on a daily basis.

As with any successful garden, the quality of the soil matters. We added perlite to a premium potting mix to help with aeration and drainage.

In addition to bought fertilizers, I regularly top up the beds with the worm castings and liquid from our Hungry Bin worm farm.

Coming from a garden with abundant citrus, it doesn’t seem right to have to buy lemons and limes, so we are now growing a Meyer lemon and Tahitian lime in large pots positioned at the front of the house to maximise the sun. A tamarillo tree and passionfruit vine is also growing in pots. There’s always room for a gardener's favourites.

There's always room for a gardener's favourites in a small backyard garden (Photo: Stef Garland)

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