How to Grow a lot of Food in a Small Garden - 9 EZ tips

Here are nine easy tips for growing more food in a small garden:

1) Grow in Beds, not Rows
2) Optimize Spacing between Beds and Plants
3) Grow Vertically
4) Succession Planting
5) Interplanting
6) Grow in the Shade
7) Grow Edible Plants in the Front Yard
8) Grow Microgreens
9) Grow in Pots & Containers

Ideas from viewers

1) Interplant sweet peas with sunchokes. The sweet peas fix nitrogen, the sunchokes act as trellises for the peas, and both attract beneficial insects.
2) 3 sisters garden
3) Grow dwarf trees and plant shade tolerant crops underneath
4) Grow in window boxes
5) Optimize use of space by growing food you like the most

OYR is all about growing a lot of food on a little land using sustainable organic methods, while keeping costs and labor at a minimum. Emphasis is placed on improving soil quality with compost, mulch, and compost tea. No store-bought fertilizers, soil amendments, pesticides, compost activators, etc. are used.

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How to Build a Keyhole Raised Bed Garden:

[soisitimpossible]

I can't understand why anyone would want a lawn when they can plant a garden. Your garden looks great.

[rebeccashetter]

He is so right about raised beds; most soil has been so chemically treated because of lawns that you will be getting leaves and very little food. Also; try to focus on double crop vegetables like onions, spring onions, garlic, can be harvested and the leaves are great as chives.. you can even cut up and dry for later use. Sweet potatoes are wonderful for the potatoes; but the leaves are like spinach and can be cooked in soups, salads, and also are great for drying to add later to soups. Raspberries are wonderful for both jams and de-glazing pans for pork chops and dried for later use. The leaves are great dried for teas and great for cramps or upset stomach. Peas are a must to grow; shade lovers, the tops are delicious for soups, salads and grow like weeds if kept watered... Strawberries leaves are also edible; a lot of the teas we buy when they say strawberries flavor if not artificial are the leaves and skins of plants or fruit. I use the skins of fruit after I peal that are organic and dry and put into the coffee grounder and add to tea; delicious.
Don't forget the wild edibles; stinging nettle is a super food and also takes the radiation out of the body with the increase around the world of radiation is a must have. It also deters animals inside the garden if you plant it in a wild animal run. Mullen is great and has been used for centuries for bandages and to use on cuts and sores. Mushrooms are a must they feed the soil and keep the plants healthy and happy. Planting mushrooms at the edges on maple or oak logs looks really pretty and will increase your yields in crops. So much to learn and so little time. Keep learning guys; practice and keep sharing... we are in this together. I talked to the grocery store clerks and wholesale food company managers and they are running out of food. We all need to start to grow food... even hydroponics inside an apartment with a barrel of feeder fish will work. Buy a fountain solar pump... All you need is knowledge and practice . God Bless and stay safe guys.

[anndennis]

Tip # 10 grow only what your family will eat. Do and inventory of what you eat and break down dishes to find what is available for you to grow. Example: spaghetti sauce is mainly tomatoes but there are also many spices that can be grown towards making that sauce more your own.

[MIgardener]

Very nice! I love the tips you gave. You hit on some of the main ones I focused on this year, and it is so true. rows kill your space, block formation is a winning idea. Thanks for posting, and sharing! 

[LearnToGrow]

Excellent tips Patrick!  This is very helpful to new gardeners as well as seasoned ones :) 

[milododds]

I have a tip to add, I call it "staggering" which means don't plant your entire crop all at the same day. Instead plant over several weeks if not longer for certain crops. This ensures freshness and not an over or under abundance. Another tip is to spend 1/3 of your total gardening time by improving your soil through composting, which includes: turning and adding leaves in the fall, cut grass, horse manure from a local ranch, composting from a local waste management, and as much vegetable matter you can muster from your kitchen.

[suburbanhomestead]

Great tips. I use most of these techniques and they really work!

[lynnlamont]

I'm going to grow some good king henry this year as well as tree collards and malabar spinach.

[jimwilleford]

Many glorious ground covers. Some drought tolerant. My faves are Hacienda Creeper or Virginia Creeper.

[landscapephotosgardeningho]

good to hear that small garden can be of great importance. thank you a lot!

[brent]

Thanks for everything, continuity in community through gardening

[adrian_barreto]

This was really an eyeopener for me to optimise the use of land

[oregoncoastmama]

I've been binge watching all these old garden videos. I can not wait to get mine started this spring!

[craftfarms]

I'm trying beds for the first time this year. It seems to be going well.

[nicfarrow]

Short, clear, to-the-point. Excellent!

[alabamaorganicgardening]

This is great, Patrick! It's a great list to go down through and make sure you are doing all you can to be successful in the garden.

[jimwilleford]

As usual, your videos are full of proven ideas. Thank you yet again!

[JoeyHerby]

As always Patrick I this video was helpful and inspiring (the diligence in the way you document your progress is also very inspiring). Thank you

[aishatamang]

I will definitely make one of this organic garden back home... It's beautiful...

[dmat]

I’m a longtime gardener always looking for tips, tricks and new ways to garden. Your videos are educational and concise…thanks for posting great content!