How much space do edible landscapes require?
Written by
Benjamin Miller
Reviewed by
Prof. Samuel Fitzgerald, Ph.D.Edible landscapes can be adapted to any space by application of intelligent design principles. Tiny balconies can be transformed into gardens using vertical trellises, supporting plants such as beans and cucumbers. Patios may employ stacked strawberry planters, while small yards, which require intensive planting to maximize crop yields, may be suitable. Even narrow side yards can be rendered productive if the owners are willing to use columnar apple trees and bush berries.
Take advantage of vertical space for serious savings in cubic space. Attach trellises to your walls or fences for climbing varieties such as pole beans, which save up to 80 percent of ground area. Utilize tower planters for strawberries, which can produce dozens of plants in one square foot. I have harvested pounds of tomatoes using these upward-growing methods from one balcony.
Vertical Systems
- Trellised beans: 1 sq ft yields 5 lbs
- Espaliered apples: 8 inch depth needed
- Hanging tomato baskets: 3 plants per
Container Strategies
- Stacked strawberry towers: 20 plants
- Herb window boxes: 10 varieties per 24"
- Self-watering pots for patio tomatoes
Intensive Planting
- Square foot gardening layouts
- Edible groundcovers like thyme
- Companion planting basil with tomatoes
Choose dwarf versions designed for little space. Columnar apple trees grow only two feet wide and yield fruit. Bush cucumbers grow only eighteen inches instead of vining ones. Patio tomatoes produce pounds of fruit in containers, while tiny berry bushes fit small borders.
Use intensive planting techniques to maximize efficiency. Square-foot gardening involves dividing areas into dense planting grids. Interplant fast-growing radishes among slow-growing cabbage. Edging pathways with creeping thyme for a fragrant ground cover. These methods increase the productivity of traditional gardens threefold.
Convert the alternative spots into production zones. The sunny window sills grow herbs. The narrow side yards support columnar fruit trees. The driveways put out containers of blueberries. The fire escape of my client supports beans growing vertically, which proves that food can be grown anywhere with imagination.
Start small with a one-container herb garden before expanding your collection. First, you build confidence with a single basil pot on the patio. Next year, add some stacked strawberry planters, then wall planters. Within two years, even the tiniest areas become enormous edible landscapes, with great harvests.
Read the full article: 10 Essential Edible Landscape Design Tips
